Noticias

The recent slue of terrorist attacks on civilians and election officials has received a lot of attention as the eyes of the world shift to Afghanistan just a week ahead of its historic presidential election. But for many Afghans, militant attempts to keep disrupt the country's democratic process have only fueled a greater determination to participate in the upcoming vote. 
  

The Deputy of Secretary of the United Nations, Hervé Ladsous said on Monday that rigging allegations must not be a pretext for refusing election results.

Mr. Ladsous, who is in Kabul to participate in the Nowruz festival, expressed his satisfaction over this year’s election preparations stating that the he hopes for a fair and transparent election as well as urging Afghan people to go vote.

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): A number of residents of western Herat province on Wednesday complained about a lack of voter registration centres, asking the authorities to increase the number of such centres.

As the April 5 presidential and provincial council elections draw closer, enthusiasm among Herat residents is growing to participate in the national process. Presently, two voter registration centres are functional in Herat City.

Afghan presidential candidate Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf pledged in a speech in Herat on Tuesday to implement Islamic law and punish killers with the death penalty if he is elected president.
 
According to Sayyaf some elements try to frighten people regarding the involvement of the Mujahideen in the political process, and said that he would try to establish a totally Islamic rule in the country. 
 
“We will establish an Islamic system which was also the aim of Jihad so that our oppressed nation is in the shadow of an Islamic government,” Sayyaf said.
 

Afghan MPs approved on Tuesday Younus Qanuni, a former House Speaker, as first vice president to replace Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, who died of a heart attack two weeks ago.

Qanuni was introduced by President Hamid Karzai to the MPs for a confidence vote.

"We have selected Mohammad Younus Qanuni from those who were offered for the first vice president and we hope you very soon confirm him," Karai said at the Parliament on Tuesday.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Monday voiced concern over government servants’ participation in the election campaign, saying necessary materials could not be transported to some restive areas.

Addressing a seminar on the role of religious scholars and tribal elders in the election process, IEC Secretary Ziaul Haq Amarkhel said preparations were in place to hold the vote on schedule.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Sunday said that recent assessments carried out by site monitors indicate security issues have increased in some parts of the country, and will likely keep the IEC from distributing election materials to those areas.

Although the IEC has previously "finalized" a list of functional polling facilities - 6,775 polling centers and 21,663 polling sites - the new revelations about deteriorating security in some parts of the country is likely force election officials to adjust their expectations.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) on Wednesday announced removing another 116 individuals from the final list of provincial council candidate.

IECC Secretary Nadir Mohseni told a press conference in Kabul the runners had been disqualified because they did not meet age and academic requirements under the election law.

He added the scrutiny of candidates’ documents, ages and complaints against them had been completed. All 2,212 complaints against provincial candidates have been disposed of.

Head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) Ahmad Yousaf Nuristani on Wednesday expressed apprehensions over possible electoral fraud enabled by security threats, saying that this will also undermine the effectiveness of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

Nursitani called on security institutions to clarify which areas they can maintain security in to ensure the safety of polling booths and voters. The IEC will soon share its assessments with security organs, Nuristani added.