Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Kabul (BNA) The senate on Sunday called for the creation of a special tribunal to investigate results from the April provincial councils’ polls, seeking prosecution of top election officials. Rejecting explanations from Independent Election Commission (IEC) Deputy Chairman Abdur Rahman Hotaki, the Senate suggested a special tribunal should be set up to probe the results and electoral watchdog officials prosecuted for insulting the house.
The provincial council elections were held simultaneously with the first round of the presidential election on April 5. Results from the polls were announced about a week earlier, triggering protests by losing runners in various provinces. The Senate on Sunday summoned electoral officials to brief lawmakers about the disputed results. Hotaki appeared before the senate on behalf of the election commission, but none of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) arrived in the house. Some lawmakers alleged the IECC had fraudulently declared a number of losing candidates as winners, replacing their names with winning rivals in the final list. Senate second vice-chairman Rafiullah Gul Afghan, who lost his reelection bid, said they would not stay silent until their right was surrendered. He warned not to let any provincial councils’ member to enter Kabul. But first deputy chairman, Mohammad Alam Ezedyar, who presided over the session, said explanations offered by Hotaki were not acceptable to senate. He said the government should create a special tribunal to investigate the election results and called for IECC officials to be prosecuted because they had insulted the senate for not appearing in it. His remarks were endorsed by lawmakers by raising green cards. However, IECC officials have been in the United States.
