IEC begins votes recount, audit in 7 provinces

KABUL) on Sunday officially began the vote recount and audit process in remaining seven provinces, an official said.

Zabihullah Sadat, IEC acting spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the recount process of votes started in Jawzjan, Faryab, Badakhshan, Takhar, Baghlan, Sar-i-Pul and Panjsher provinces at 10am in the morning.

The IEC on Saturday said the vote recount and audit process in the remaining seven provinces would begin Sunday and the presidential election’s preliminary result would be announced later this week.

This comes a day after Chief Executive Office Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the Stability and Partnership team, asked his followers in a tweet on Friday night to allow the IEC to audit or recount votes in the remaining seven provinces.

Abdullah said the decision to allow vote recount in the seven provinces was a gesture of good-will and renewed his stance on invalidation of around 300,000 controversial votes again.

Abdullah’s supporters demand invalidation of 300,000 votes and they stopped the recount and audit in Jawzjan, Faryab, Badakhshan, Takhar, Baghlan and Sar-i-Pul provinces.

The Presidential Elections were conducted on September 28 and the preliminary results of these polls are yet to be announced.

Sa