2 presidential, 4 vice-presidential hopefuls fail in Oct polls

KABUL elections, Pajhwok Afghan News has learnt. The Wolesi Jirga elections were held on October 20.

Masouda Jalal contested the Wolesi Jirga polls from Kabul province and won 271 votes, Bashir Bezan won 222 votes, Zulfiqar Omaid collected 1098 votes, Abdul Latif Pedram from Badakhshan province grabbed 3846 votes, Mohammad Ibrahim Alkozai from Kandahar secured 2578 votes and Yahya Wyar from Kabul collected 406 votes in the October 20 polls.

Abdul Latif Pedram and Mohammad Ibrahim Alokozai have registered as presidential hopefuls while Masouda Jalal, Bashir Bezan, Zulfiqar Omaid and Yahya Wyar registered as deputy presidential candidates in the July 29 presidential election.

Bezan, who is Noorul Haq Ulumi’s running mate, criticized the Independent Election Commission (IEC)’s performance and said money was the only source to make it to the final list of winning Wolesi Jirga candidates. He alleged individuals who got most votes offered hum sums of money.

He said introducing reforms in the IEC was essential and he had submitted his recommendations to the commission in this regard.

Political affairs expert Faiz Mohammad Zaland told Pajhwok Afghan News failing parliamentary candidates had two purposes for registering in the presidential elections.

“First, they want to deal with the future president on a higher position like a ministry or embassy and secondly some did so on the directives of foreign intelligence agencies to disturb the electoral environment.”

nh/ma