The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced on Tuesday that they will suggest an election date to President Ashraf Ghani next week, when they deliver the final document on the matter to him.
This comes despite the expectation that the elections will be delayed for another year.
According to Sareer Ahmad Barmak, IEC commissioner, the draft document for the date will be finalized next week and submitted to the president's office.
"Based on the recommendations of electoral reform commission, we have started our work on the election schedule and will send it to the president next week," Barmak said.
Referring to the ERC's recommendation package submitted to CEO Abdullah Abdullah last Sunday and which Ghani approved in part on Sunday, Barmak said no one had the authority to dismiss any of the IEC commissioners for the next four years.
Although seven of the recommendations were approved by Ghani earlier this week, Barmak stated the recommendations were only applicable after the end of the incumbency of current election commissioners.
"Based on the law, no one can dismiss the election commissioners," Barmak said. "The recommendations and the establishment of selection committee will likely be implemented after [end of our tenure] because we have been appointed for six years. Two years have gone and we will continue to work for another four years."
One of the recommendations approved by Ghani was the establishment of a selection committee to appoint new commissioners – a proposal widely criticized by the IEC officials.
However, the ERC head Shah Sultan Akifi urged the selection committee to begin its work soon.
In addition, he warned that parliamentary elections would not be held unless the election system is reformed.
"It depends now on the government when to start implementing our recommendations and establish the selection committee. But we want the selection committee to being its work soon," Akifi said.
The establishment of a selection committee for new commissioners, a voters' roll and 25 percent quota for women in the district and provincial councils were among the recommendations approved by Ghani.
In a legislative decree issued by Ghani, the Ministry of Justice and the Office of Administrative Affairs were tasked to take immediate measures to provide the legal grounds for the implementation of the seven approved proposals.
