The Election Watch Organization of Afghanistan (EWA) on Monday warned that if the electoral bodies do not focus on the deficiencies and leakages witnessed in the first round of the elections, the June 14 runoff will face major challenges.
In a recent report, EWA submitted a number of recommendations as to how the electoral bodies should change before the runoff. Among others suggestions, the EWA asked the electoral bodies to focus on identification of suspicious sites and to ensure the distribution of sufficient ballot papers.
“The election commissions must learn from their previous mistakes and focus on reforms to avoid problems in the second round,” Head of EWA Jan Dad Spinghar said. "The runoff is much different from the first round; it could lead to severe crisis in case of any problems."
Based on the EWA report, a lack of accurate identification of suspicious polling sites, the method pursued by the two electoral bodies for open hearing, and a lack of a clear identification of authorities were among the main challenges in the first round.
EWA recommended that the election commission not extend the voting time in areas prone to frauds and riggings. Furthermore, the organization emphasized on good coordination and cooperation between the two electoral bodies as well as effective monitoring of candidates' financial resources. Spinghar especially focused on the Election Complaints Commission's (ECC) role in investigating complaints from the first round.
“If ECC does not accurately investigate the complaints and criticisms with the consideration of the candidates' civil rights, the number of complaints would keep increasing,” Spinghar added. "This could contribute to the failure of the entire process.
EWA noted that one of its main concerns is regarding security problems that could undermine the voting process. The organization underlined the significance of election monitoring in conducting a credible and legitimate runoff.
Source/Fuente: http://www.tolonews.com/elections2014/ewa-demands-electoral-bodies-reform
