IECC investigates 74 more complaints

KABUL (Pajhwok): More electoral complaints were investigated by the Independent Election Complaint Commission (IECC) at a fourth public hearing on Tuesday, an official said.

Most of the 74 complaints were recorded against the campaign teams of leading presidential runners Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in the northeastern zone.

Representatives of candidates, civil society organisations and media outlets were also present on the occasion.

IECC member Aziz Aryafar said the complaints from Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan provinces focused on ballot stuffing by warlords and fraud by commission staff.

One complaint says a presiding officer was beaten by a man who forcibly stuffed ballot boxes for Ahmadzai in Badakhshan province. 

In the same province, ballot boxes were stuffed for Dr. Abdullah following a clash at a polling station in Jarshah Baba Girls’ School.  

But Abdullah’s representative Zalgai Sajjad accused some IECC provincial officials of pursuing double standard. The officials ignored the complaints their objections and accepted others’ complaints without evidence.

Speaking on behalf of Ashraf Ahmadzai’s team, Eng. Bashi claimed some complaints were not based on documents or evidence.

Another representative of the same team, Syed Habib Hashimi, said the complaints not supported by evidence were unacceptable to them.  

At the end of the public hearing, IECC Secretary Nadir Mohseni said today’s complaints had been divided into three categories.

The first category involved the complaints already debated by provincial offices, but candidates called for a reassessment.

Complaints stood in the second category could not be evaluated by provincial offices in the stipulated time, he added.

The complaints not assessed by provincial offices for different reasons were included in the third category, according to Mohseni.  

mm/mud

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