KABUL (Pajhwok): Some Meshrano Jirga members on Sunday accused UN and Afghan electoral officials of colluding to alter the Wolesi Jirga election results.
The upper house members alleged the United Nations Assistant Mission for Afghanistan(UNAMA) and the Independent Election Commission (IEC) Secretariat staff members trying to manipulate the election results.
Senator Zalmai Zabuli, while referring to the delay in the elections results announcement, said: “Foreigners from UNAMA have come here to interfere in the election process and manipulate results,” he said.
“If the interference is actually taking place and the election bodies are unable to stop it, so they should share it with the nation so the Parliament can support the commission to restore people’s trust in it.”
He alleged due to interference of foreigners in the election process, the schedule for the Presidential Polls could not be announced as yet and the future of Wolesi Jirga elections in Ghazni province and district council elections in the country remained unknown.
Acknowledging Zabuli’s allegations, Senate Chairman Fazal Hadi Muslimyar said: “According to our information, the employees of the IEC secretariat and foreigners are working to manipulate the election results. We want the IEC to respect the public mandate and announce the real results of the elections.”
He warned changing the election results would produce dire consequences and the rigged results would not be acceptable to the nation.
IEC Commissioner Syed Hafeezullah Hashami said the election bodies would not allow any individual or organization to interfere in their affairs.
IEC officials said the results of Wolesi Jirga elections from 32 provinces would be announced on November 23 and from Kabul on December 1.
The UNAMA in a statement said it provided strictly impartial technical advice only to the Afghan electoral authorities.
The statement said the UN looked forward to the Afghan electoral bodies communicating results at the earliest time, as well as announcing the timetable for the presidential election.
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