Fair polls key to survival of democracy: CEO

KABUL.

The CEO also underlined the need for efforts to ensure transparency in polls –something that should not be ignored even for a moment.

Addressing a cabinet meeting, Abdullah asked the election commissions to exercise their independence while dealing with vote-related issues.

He said a fair election was critical to the survival of democracy and stability in the country. “We want the election bodies to maintain their freedom and bring transparency to the election process.”

Earlier, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said preliminary results from the presidential vote would be unveiled on October 19 and the final outcome on November 7.

But due to technical issues and problems in sifting valid votes from and fraudulent pnes, the IEC could not announce the result on schedule.

The commission recently said the preliminary results would be announced on November 14.

About the peace process, the CEO called for taking all possible measures to bring lasting peace to the country.

This comes as attempts have been stepped up to resume peace negotiations between the Taliban and the US, which were cancelled by President Donald Trump a month ago.

In his speech, Abdullah also pointed to the killing of Al Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. He believed the insurgent group would face divisions after the loss of its leader.

Baghdadi, had committed crimes against humanity and killed many people in Afghanistan and Iraq, he claimed, saying the killing of the ISIS leader would help boost security in the region.

mds/mud

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