Continuation of the disagreements in the Independent Election Commission (IEC) would face Afghanistan with another political predicament
Disagreements in the Independent Election Commission (IEC) have reportedly reached an all-time high, with some commissioners acknowledging the issue, and claiming that the government was meddling in electoral affairs. Political observers describe the rifts between election commissioners as the start of yet another political crisis designed by foreigners similar to that caused by the 2014 controversial presidential election.
A political analyst, Ghulam Jelani Zwak, said when the government appointed inexperienced individuals as election commissioners, there began the process to discredit electoral institutions, and there were foreign hands behind it. Saying that carrying out elections through the current commission riddled with massive disharmonies was a mistake, Zwak told The Heart of Asia: “How will people trust the results of elections conducted by a commission that is plagued by corruption and internal differences.” In lieu of rectifying the damage caused to the democratic process due to fraud in 2014 presidential election, the National Unity Government (NUG), according to Zwak, made the people to lose trust in elections, warning that the continuation of the disagreements in IEC would face Afghanistan with another political predicament. Complaining about internal discords in the Independent Election Commission, Maliha Hassan, a female electoral commissioner, revealed a few days ago that all decisions in IEC were being made by a certain circle. Meanwhile, a well-placed source from the election commission disclosed to The Heart of Asia that commissioners had traded barbs at a meeting about a month and a half ago, and accused each other of theft and corruption. The source also added that Maliha Hassan had accused a number of commissioners of making decisions at the behest of a particular circle, and not giving time to other commissioners to speak. Abdul Wahab Wali, a political analyst, said lack of experience besides poor management has contributed to the emergence of disagreements in IEC. He told The Heart of Asia the government could not comment on the fissures and corruption in IEC so that the commissioners did not become unhappy with the president and his chief executive officer. He believed both the president and the CEO were trying to win them over at any cost, expressing the concern that if national and international organizations did not speak up against the current situation of electoral commissions, and call for their reforms, the upcoming election would not be expected to be held transparently.
>>> READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE on Heart of Asia
A political analyst, Ghulam Jelani Zwak, said when the government appointed inexperienced individuals as election commissioners, there began the process to discredit electoral institutions, and there were foreign hands behind it. Saying that carrying out elections through the current commission riddled with massive disharmonies was a mistake, Zwak told The Heart of Asia: “How will people trust the results of elections conducted by a commission that is plagued by corruption and internal differences.” In lieu of rectifying the damage caused to the democratic process due to fraud in 2014 presidential election, the National Unity Government (NUG), according to Zwak, made the people to lose trust in elections, warning that the continuation of the disagreements in IEC would face Afghanistan with another political predicament. Complaining about internal discords in the Independent Election Commission, Maliha Hassan, a female electoral commissioner, revealed a few days ago that all decisions in IEC were being made by a certain circle. Meanwhile, a well-placed source from the election commission disclosed to The Heart of Asia that commissioners had traded barbs at a meeting about a month and a half ago, and accused each other of theft and corruption. The source also added that Maliha Hassan had accused a number of commissioners of making decisions at the behest of a particular circle, and not giving time to other commissioners to speak. Abdul Wahab Wali, a political analyst, said lack of experience besides poor management has contributed to the emergence of disagreements in IEC. He told The Heart of Asia the government could not comment on the fissures and corruption in IEC so that the commissioners did not become unhappy with the president and his chief executive officer. He believed both the president and the CEO were trying to win them over at any cost, expressing the concern that if national and international organizations did not speak up against the current situation of electoral commissions, and call for their reforms, the upcoming election would not be expected to be held transparently.
>>> READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE on Heart of Asia