Since preliminary results were announced last week, the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has investigated complaint cases related to frauds nine central provinces of Afghanistan, including Kabul, Parwan, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Panjshir, Kapisa, Daikondi and Ghazni.
The ECC's complaints adjudication process is expected to last through the end of this week, and will be conducted entirely in the presence of media, civil society and candidate observers.
ECC Commissioner Rida Azimi showed members of the Afghan media video footage of fraud being committed by local leaders, Independent Election Commission (IEC) staff-members as well as school principals whose classrooms were used as polling sites. Similar video footage has circulated around social media since Election Day in early April.
Ms. Azimi said listed the Chahar Deewar village of Andar district in Ghazni province as one of the locations where ballot box stuffing was most prevalent. He said the fraud there was done in favor of two candidates. Although he did not provide their names, the investigation's outcome revealed the two candidates were Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani are currently leading the vote count, and are expected move into a runoff round in early June if neither of them get an outright majority when final results are announced in just over a week.
Many of the complaints were filed by Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani against each other. But both men have questioned the credibility of the other's accusations.
“These complaints are not factual, a guy came and started taking out ballot papers from boxes and someone else made the footage and claimed that this was fraud,” said Zalgai Sajjad, a member of Abdullah's campaign.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Qasim Halimi, a member of Ashraf Ghani's campaign, rejected the allegations made against his team.
“Complaints were filed against Dr. Ashraf Ghani, and they say that IEC staff cheated in support of Ashraf Ghani Ahamdzai," Halimi said. "You realize Hisarak District is located in Nangarhar province, it is clear like the sun that this are totally baseless allegations.”
ECC officials presented what were thought to be fraudulent ballots submitted in favor of third-place candidate Zalmai Rassoul in Maidan Wardak province.
In response, Zalmai Rassoul's campaign staffer Abdul Rauf Zahid said insufficient evidence was presented by the ECC to verify whether or not they were indeed corrupted votes.
“The copies of the ballot papers that were found inside the ballot box are totally fake, but in terms of law, you must have enough evidence to prove it,” Zahid said.
The ECC's open assessments will continue until next Saturday and outcome will be forwarded on to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) Sunday. Following the IEC's review of the investigations, final results will be announced.
Candidates are allowed to submit further evidence support complaints that have been already filed anytime within the next 24 hours.
