ESG welcomes new IEC, IECC commissioners

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Election Support Group (ESG) on Tuesday welcomed the appointment of new electoral commissioners and secretaries in a statement.

The ESG statement said it noticed the consultative process on the selection, in which the government, political parties, civil society organizations (CSOs) and presidential candidates were engaged.

The group called on the new commissioners of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Electoral Complaints and heads of secretariats to discharge responsibility with a spirit of public service, with integrity, impartiality and professionalism and with collegiality to advance the rights of all Afghans to decide their future.

The group said the new IEC and ECC leadership had the urgent task of reinstating public confidence in the electoral bodies whose reputation was tarnished by mismanagement and allegations of misconduct.

“This trust would be generated through concrete steps taken in their first weeks in office, and by working cohesively towards the sole purpose of delivering credible elections.”

“We strongly urge the new commissions to expeditiously move forward with the finalization of the parliamentary election results, and preparations for the upcoming elections in 2019.”

The group that comprises key donors said timely and responsible decisions in consultations with relevant stakeholders were vital for preparations to proceed without further delay.

The independent electoral management bodies are responsible for holding transparent, realistically planned and properly prepared credible elections throughout Afghanistan to be built upon lessons learned from the 2018 parliamentary elections. “On this basis, the Election Support Group stands ready to support them.”

The Election Support Group (ESG) comprises key donors– the European Union, the Governments of Australia, Sweden (on behalf of the Nordic plus), Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, the United States of America – as well as NATO and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

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