IEC Announces Kabul Election Results Amid Growing Pressure

There are 24 male and 9 female candidates among the front runners who have secured their seats in the parliament. 
Addressing a press conference in Kabul on Monday, IEC chief Abdul Badi Sayyad said that the election management body has learnt much from the October 20 elections and now the commission is working on systematic reforms to avoid shortcomings in future elections.
He said IEC is also working on comprehensive plans which include technical reforms and reforming the voter lists. 
“There are 24 male and 9 female candidates who have secured their seats in the parliament based on the preliminary elections,” he said.
Sayyad said the election will not surrender to political and psychological pressures.
“Political, security and psychological pressures will not damage the sovereignty of the elections commission,” he said.
He call on the Afghan people to trust the election commission.
He said that some institutions and election observers leveled allegations against IEC instead of delivering on their responsibilities.
According to Sayyad, based on primary results, the following candidates from Kabul have been announced as winners in the parliamentary elections:
Ajmal Rahmani received 12,192 votes, Abdul Qayoum Khaikhaw received 9,626 votes, Fida Mohammad Ulfat Saleh received 7,406 votes, Ahmad Jawed Jaihoon received 7,161 votes, Ramazan Bashardost received 7,041 votes, Khan Agha Rezayee received 6,905 votes, Amir Gul Shaheen received 6,765 votes, Ghulam Hussain Naseri received 6,470 votes, Mullah Mohammad Khan Ahmadi received 6,348 votes, Allah Gul Mujahid received 6,333 vote, Sayed Mohamamd Mohammadi received 6,253 votes, Mir Amanullah Guzar received 6,250 votes, Khan Mohammad Wardak received 6,005 votes, Qazi Mir Afghan Safai received 5,968 votes, Ajmal Gulab received 4,525 votes, Ahmad Zia Azimi Shinozada received 4,481 votes, Tawfiq Wahdat received 4,318 votes, Obaidullah Kalimzai Wardak received 4,291 votes, Hafizullah Jalili received 4,183 votes, Hajji Mohammad Farhad Sediqqi received 4,174 votes, Anwar Khan Oryakhel received 4,120 votes, Zargai Habibi received 3,938 votes, Habiburrahman Sayyaf received 3,879 votes, Najibullah Naser received 3,779 votes.
The female winners included:
Fatima Nazari received 2,897 votes
Shinkai Karokhel received 1,883 votes
Robina Jalali received 1,529 votes
Fawzia Naseryar Gul Darayee received 1,470 votes
Maryam Sama received 1,439 votes
Saleema Nekbin received 1,352 votes
Mursal Nabizadah received 1,319 votes
Zohra Nawrozi received 1,297 votes
Nazifa Zaki received 1,197 votes.
This new development takes place at a time that the election commission endured major pressure from election observers and Afghan political parties over shortcomings that marred the October 20 parliamentary elections.
Observers called for action against IEC officials.
Election observers on Monday said that corruption within the Independent Election Commission (IEC) is tragic.
The delay in Kabul election results is rooted in financial bargaining between members of the IEC and other reservations, said the observers, adding that the government’s reluctance to fire IEC officials from their posts was also questionable.
“There are issues which are not defined technically and according to procedures and this is delaying it. But all these issues are rooted to exceptions and reservations. The independent election commission unfortunately has become the victim of reservations and these reservations could be very harmful,” said Mohammad Yousuf Rashid, head of Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA).
According to observers, there is consensus among the donors, who are funding the election process, that the IEC members should step down from their posts over poor management and poor leadership.
“There is a consensus regarding the dismissal of the commissioners and head of the secretariat and some provincial chiefs. This consensus exists among the donors, embassies, civil society, but in some areas, the government is escaping from its responsibility and this has created doubts for us,” said Khalil Raufi, head of Afghanistan Youth Training Center.
On Sunday, Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish criticized IEC over its poor management of the works in the election process, saying the IEC has committed an act of oppression against the people of Afghanistan.
Allegations of fraud, violations and corruption against the election commission have raised questions on the image of the Afghan people and the Afghan government in the international arena, said Danish, amid growing calls for systematic reforms within the election management body of the country, which has been under massive pressure over poor management of the electoral process.
Hours before the announcement of Kabul parliamentary election results, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah criticized the Independent Election Commission (IEC) for delays in announcing the results and said he hoped they would be announced soon.
“The parliamentary elections results have not been announced, unfortunately. The parliamentary elections faced problems, but we hope the new Afghan parliament will be a step forward to consolidating the rule of law and political stability in the country,” Abdullah said at the Council of Ministers meeting on Monday.