Members of the committee appointed by the national unity government to negotiate the details a potential electoral reforms commission discussed details of their progress on Sunday.
The electoral reform commission is expected to be in place for four to five months, and be composed of nine to 11 members. Ultimately, the commission would be responsible for preparing a plan for how to bring reform to the country's electoral system.
Deliberation over the reform commission among the national unity government leaders has reportedly ended. The reform commission is now expected to be formed within a matter of days, potentially as soon as Wednesday.
"As officials from the office of the Second Vice President, Mr. Danish, have said, there is a chance that on Wednesday the president might create the commission with a decree," said Muhammad Natiqi, a member of the committee discussing the creation of the Electoral Reform Commission.
The reform commission is expected to be composed of representatives from the Presidential Palace, Chief Executive's Office as well as civil society groups. While it is active, the reform commission will be asked to prepare a plan for bringing reforms the the national election law as well as to the structures of the electoral commissions and overall electoral system.
"Electoral reform commission will be created temporarily, meaning, after implementation of the reforms of the commissions, this commission will be dissolved," said Sarwar Jawadi, the Social and Public Relations Advisor to the Second Vice President.
The clamor for electoral reform has peaked in recent weeks as political leaders, civil society groups and the international community have warned that holding parliamentary elections scheduled for June could have disastrous consequences if no reforms are made ahead of time. Proponents of reform have been frustrated by the governments slowness in getting to reform, and made a point of highlighting just how disenfranchised many Afghans felt in the wake of the fraud-ridden 2014 presidential election.
According to members of the committee forming the reform commission, those who will be selected for it are expected to be impartial, technical and resourceful. "We emphasize that members should be people with experience in the field of elections and are impartial," said Muhammad Asem, a member of the discussion committee.
The reform commission will not have the authority to decide on the implementation of reforms as that will be be left up to the leaders of the national unity government. The entire reform process is expected to take place prior to the next parliamentary election cycle.
Saleha Soadat
Source: http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/18324-details-of-electoral-reform...
