Ban hails endorsement of election laws

KABUL): UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed President Hamid Karzai’s endorsement of a law to regulate the structure and responsibilities of electoral management bodies as a key step to toward the next year’s presidential and provincial council elections.

“The secretary-general looks forward to the speedy implementation of the law to facilitate transparent, credible and inclusive elections,” Ban’s spokesperson in said in a statement.

Ban also hailed the parliamentary approval of the law earlier this week and hoped President Hamid Karzai would also consider this law at the earliest opportunity. “This will be another key step in creating the electoral framework for next year’s polls.”

The UN chief characterised the Afghan-led elections as central to the country’s stable and sustainable political transition. Ban appealed to all concerned to “engage constructively in efforts to ensure that the elections are held according to the Afghan Constitution and the Independent Election Commission’s timeline.”

pr/mud