‘Fraudulent’ election results unacceptable: Kuchi candidates

KABUL tribe candidates on Thursday blamed fraud and rigging in their polling stations on the election commission’s mismanagement, refusing to accept the results.

Numbering 30 the candidates told a joint press conference in Kabul that they would not accept the results until real and fake votes were told apart. They demanded audit of votes cast in Kuchi polling stations in Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Logar and Baghlan provinces.

Wolesi Jirga candidate Syed Halim Harir, speaking on behalf of others, alleged the Oct 20 parliamentary elections in their constituencies were massively rigged, particularly in five certain provinces.

“The result sheet of votes given to our observers on the election day is hugely different from the results manipulated in favor of some candidates who have links in the government.”

He said the election results were not acceptable to them until transparent votes were separated from fraudulent ones. They would not allow any candidate to find way to the lower house with fake votes.

Inayatullah, Sahrayee, another candidate, said there were 2,000 polling stations in Kuchi electoral zones and it was not possible to send observers to all the sites, therefore a massive rigging happened.

Khan Mohammad Ahmadzai, another Kuchi tribe candidate, alleged ballot stuffing in some polling stations in favor of specific candidates.

“We accept the votes which are cast through biometric system from 8am to 6pm and the votes polled after that period are not acceptable and should be declared invalid,” he explained.

Referring to no voting in Dobandi, Mugholkhel and Safid Sang villages of Charkh district of Logar province, he said the IEC dissolved certain stations but still votes of Kuchis were counted against the law.

Pajhwok tried to reach out to the IEC for comment, but failed.

sa/ma