KABUL (Pajhwok): A Wolesi Jirga candidate in western Farah province has said all votes cast in the province had been destroyed in the October 31 helicopter crash, asking the government to re-conduct vote.
On October 31, a helicopter of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces crashed in Anar Dara district of Farah province, killing 27 individuals onboard, including military officials and local representatives.
Mohammad Sarwar Osmani, a Wolesi Jirga candidate from Farah and a sitting lawmaker, told today’s session of the lower house that the elections in his province should be held again.
He said as some ballot boxes had been destroyed in the helicopter crash, it would be injustice to announce results from the remaining boxes.
He said the Independent Election Commission (IEC) had been unable to separate genuine and fraudulent votes because biometric devices were also destroyed in the incident.
He said the Wolesi Jirga elections in Farah were massively rigged, therefore the results would be not acceptable to people until the polls were not conducted again.
Amir Khan Yar, second deputy speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, asked the IEC to provide information about the ballot boxes destroyed in the helicopter crash.
He said that reelections in Farah were essential if a majority of the ballot boxes were destroyed in the incident.
However, Mirza Mohammad Haqparast, deputy IEC spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News that no ballot boxes had been destroyed in the helicopter crash, but only copies of result sheets and some sensitive materials were lost which he said would not affect the election results.
He said voter cards were present in the IEC’s regional office. Most of Wolesi Jirga election results have been entered into the system and initial results would be announced in near future, he concluded.