Monday January 6, 2014
Kabul (BNA) The 2014 presidential and provincial council’s elections are expected to be held fairer and more transparent than those in 2009 and 2010, the Independent Election Commission said, adding 70 percent of preparations had been taken and the dispatch of the needed materials to the provinces was continuing.
Head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) secretariat office, Ziaul Haq Amerkhail said the election is expected to be held in its time. According to him, approval of the election laws, increase in capability of the security forces and amendment of the offices related to the elections were behind the reasons make the related officials optimistic over holding a fair elections process.
He assured the people for holding a fair and transparent election compared to those in the past. “Our civil society institutions had gained enough experiences from the 2009 elections and raised their capacity”, said Amerkhail.
Terming the forthcoming election a destiny making process, he said the IEC is trying to protect the people votes and help the deserved those eligible reach their rights, but he called cooperation of the people and the civil society would play vital role in transparency of the process, as his the IEC could not guarantee transparency of the process alone.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women Affairs expressed concern over the ongoing insecurity and refusal of the women to attend the process and said the prevailing insecurity in some parts of the country would affect participant of the women in the elections. Deputy Minister of Women Affairs, Muzhgan Mustafawi at an IEC and civil society meeting said her ministry had started work on the women participation in the upcoming process, but said insecurity was still a challenge in this respect and would lay negative impact on their attendance to the polling centers. She hoped the security forces could overcome insecurity in the country and pave the way for further participation of the women in the upcoming presidential and provincial council process. She also said negative traditional believes in some local areas were among those elements would deter presence of the women in the process. She asked the religious scholars for playing their role in enlightening the people’s minds to let the women attend the forthcoming process. Meanwhile, the civil society activists asked the security forces to assure the people through providing their exact reports from their investigations launched for security of the polling centers in the country. The people also hope for the next year elections to be held transparently and ask the government to insure security for an inclusive process to be attended by the whole eligible people.
Seeming hopeful on the forthcoming elections, a Kabul citizen, Farzad said security was the most important for holding a transparent presidential and provincial council elections. “If the security was not sure’ no just, fair and transparent process for the upcoming election would be expected”, he said asking the government to pave a secure ground for the voters to attend the polling centers. The process which is expected to be held simultaneously with the withdrawal of the international forces would face harsh challenge if the government failed to provide a secure atmosphere in the country.
