KABUL - The United Nations welcomes the publication of preliminary results by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) of 18 September Wolesi Jirga elections for all 34 provinces across the country, plus the Kuchi constituency.

Dari - Pashto

The staff and management of the IEC have worked extremely hard to get to this important stage, under the leadership of Chairman, Professor Fazal Ahmad Manawi and Chief Electoral Officer, Abdullah Ahmadzai.

The IEC has shown significant improvements in the management of the post-polling day process and we commend them for this. The IEC has identified irregularities and has been committed to ensuring the process is transparent. We further recognise the thorough review they have undertaken prior to announcing the preliminary results. The number of votes invalidated and identified by the IEC point to considerable fraud and electoral irregularities on election day.

The electoral process is not over and the results are not yet final. The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) now must complete its adjudication of complaints and review the candidates submitted to them by the IEC for alleged involvement in electoral violations.

We are now looking attentively at this next stage of the process which should also ensure that those who are proven to have committed fraudulent acts are held accountable.

The United Nations hopes that this critical part of the electoral operation is also carried out with diligence and in a timely manner. The United Nations will continue to provide technical and operational support to both electoral institutions.