KABUL (Pajhwok): Election oversight institutes believe the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) central office would not be able to respond to all complaints during the determined time if the commission’s provincial offices failed to convince the complainants.
After the announcement of preliminary results from presidential election, election teams lodged over 10,000 complaints with the IECC.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) says the result is not final and changes are possible in the final outcome.
Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FFEFA) head Yousuf Rashid told Pajhwok Afghan News that the IECC central office would be able to respond to all complaints on time if its provincial offices did not properly address its local complaints.
“But if candidates are not convinced by the IECC’s provincial offices and the complaints went the commission’s main office, then it would be hard for it to process all complaints in 15 days, he said.
Based on the election schedule, addressing complaints shall be completed in 15 days. “It is a good opportunity for provincial office to justly address complaints,” Rashid said.
However, he said in case the IECC central office received around a thousand complaints in the appealing period, the commission would not able to finish the job in 15 days.
Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA) spokesman, Ahmad Zubair Habibzada said the number of complaints registered by election teams was very high and the IECC would not be able to respond to all in the determined time.
“If the IECC fails to keep its independence and gives up to political pressures, then it would not be able to justly investigate complaints”, he said.
Imam Mohammad Warimach, an election affairs expert, told Pajhwok Afghan News that most of complaints lodged by protesting candidates were more political than technical and it would not face the IECC with problems.
He said the commission would be able to respond to all the complaints in its due time.
On the other hand, Mohammad Raza Fayaz, IECC spokesman, said that the commission had been expecting a high number of complaints.
He said the complaints would not create any challenges for IECC which would be able to respond to them on time.
Most of the complaints are about technical problems happened on the Election Day which would be addressed according to the law, he said.
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