Just two days after millions of Afghans safely cast votes around the country, the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) announced on Monday that partial results of the presidential election would be released sometime this week.
IEC officials said votes have been tallied from provinces across the country and are being transferred to the IEC headquarters in Kabul via air transport. Once the ballots have arrived they will verify the count and then announce the preliminary results of the presidential election on April 24.
On Election Day, more than 7 million Afghans nationwide were said to have stood in line to vote, a 50 percent increase in participation from the 2009 election.
Meanwhile, during the National Security Council meeting on Monday, President Hamid Karzai said the Afghan security forces must protect the ballots transfer as they arrive in Kabul.
Karzai also praised the Afghan national security forces, media and voters for their commitment to protect, report and vote during the 2014 presidential and provincial council elections.
Saturday's elections, which marked the beginning of Afghanistan's first democratic transition of presidential power in history, have been praised by leaders around the world.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Afghans on Sunday for the "momentous achievement" of their recent elections, calling for fairness and transparency as the lengthy counting process gets underway.
"The millions of women and men who cast their ballots are a testament to the courage and the commitment of Afghans to exercise their rights and shape their future," he said. Their participation, despite threats and intimidation, "sent a powerful message that the perpetrators of violence cannot win."
High voter turnout and the peaceful environment kept at the polls were highlights that, for many, were a surprise. With ballot counting just beginning, however, there remains a long road ahead before overall victory can be declared by anyone, let alone the candidates.
Source/Fuente: http://www.tolonews.com/elections2014/iec-announce-partial-results-presi...
