IEC: 70pc results prepared

KABUL (Pajhwok): Result sheets from 5,972 polling centres from across the country have reached the tally centre in Kabul and are being processed, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said on Saturday.

In a statement, the IEC said it had so far cleared more than one-thirds (77.55 percent) of tamper-evident bags at intake and the remaining were expected to be cleared by Sunday and the results at the IEC’s tally centre were now in stages of recording and tallying.

Seventy percent (70.71pc) of results had been prepared, scanned and archived, the statement said, nonetheless, it added based on audit and recount criteria, the results might still be subjected to further verification.

Field audits or recounts of results have been conducted at polling stations each day since April 13 and substantive progress has been made, the statement said.

IEC Secretary Ziaul Haq Amarkhel explained: “We have established a number of mechanisms to detect and address fraud; and we will use every available means to protect the votes of Afghans from those who wish to undermine the electoral process.”

Audits and recounts are conducted in line with an IEC-developed list of criteria by a joint team managed by the relevant IEC provincial offices.

pr/rm/ma