Personal interests surround electoral reform: TEFA

KABUL (TEFA) on Sunday said personal interests of politicians had besieged the electoral reform process, accusing the government, particularly the parliament, of delaying tactics in this regard.

A statement from the TEFA to Pajhwok Afghan News said more than 20 months had passed since efforts to bring about electoral reform were launched, but the efforts were yet to yield any tangible results.

“People’s eroding trust in elections and increasing political wrangling has negatively impacted the implementation of electoral reform,” the statement said.

“Parliament members have failed to properly evaluate the performance of the government, they have also failed in their pledges with people. Afghans are seriously worried about the current situation and they maybe forced into closing the doors of parliament,” it warned.

The statement added Afghans would not see reforms in the election system until they raised a united and consensus voice.

“Some figures inside and outside of the government dream to bring only some minor changes to the electoral system in order to deceive people,” the election watchdog said.

However, the statement said the people, civil society institutes and political parties were serious and they would not let anyone play with the nation’s fate.

TEFA asked the international community to break silence and follow the electoral reform issue in line with its pledges it had held out to Afghans about a decade ago. TEFA said the international community could help accelerate the electoral reform process.

Reforming the electoral regime is part of the national unity government agreement between then candidates Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah.

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