ECC asks candidates to be vigilant

15 Aug 2009

ECC asks candidates to be vigilant

KABUL - The Electoral Complaints Commission has urged provincial council candidates and their agents to be vigilant on polling day on 20 August so as to avoid fraud and other irregularities.

Addressing a gathering of about 150 provincial council candidates from Nangarhar province in the provincial capital Jalalabad, Grant Kippen, who leads the independent Afghan body of five commissioners, said the mobilization of more agents by candidates will help minimize the risk of electoral fraud.

“More agents observing the (election) process, less fraud,” said Mr Kippen, who also chaired the ECC during the 2005 elections.

He also asked the candidates to report to the ECC should any fraud take place.

“You need to tell us who these people are,” he said, referring to concerns from candidates that some election officials have links with certain candidates. “You should give us specific names and we will take action.”

He said the candidates will have the opportunity to have agents in polling centres overnight so that there is no tampering of ballot boxes and papers.

He also made it clear to the candidates, who had come to a big hall of the Tribal Department with a litany of their grievances regarding the 20 August elections and to hear the ECC commissioners’ response to their concerns, that it is too late to undo or change the recruitment of staff at the Independent Election Commission.

Mr Kippen was joined by his fellow ECC commissioner Mohammad Fahim Hakim in his daylong visit of Jalalabad, where he met with UNAMA officials, local ECC officials and government officials, among others.

“The big thing (was) meeting the candidates and listening to their concerns,” Mr Kippen told UNAMA.

The ECC has so far barred 59 candidates from contesting the presidential and provincial council seats.

The commission that hears complaints and adjudicates challenges and complaints related to the election has also fined many candidates for violating electoral code.

Last week, the ECC fined Vice President Muhammad Karim Khalili, who is also a running mate of President Hamid Karzai seeking re-election, 75,000 Afs (US$ 1,500) for using government helicopters “for campaign purposes”.

During today’s town-hall meeting with the candidates, organized by UNAMA, Mr Kippen said the legitimacy of the election doesn’t just rest with the IEC and ECC. “It rests with all of you (candidates), your agents and the people as much as it rests with IEC and ECC,” he said.

Responding to the concerns of candidates on the reduced number of polling centres and allegations of IEC staff favouring certain candidates, he said it was difficult to change the processes and procedures “in this late stage”, while highlighting the role of election observers.

“This process will not be the perfect one,” he tried to subdue their concerns. “People make mistakes. But these mistakes won’t be intentional. Necessary measures have been taken by the IEC and ECC to deter fraud.”

He urged the candidates to work together with the ECC and the IEC to make sure that the elections are credible, transparent and acceptable.

“Insecure polling stations run the risk of fraud which you don’t want to happen,” he added. “We should support the security forces to help open as many polling stations as possible.”

He said it was important that polling stations for women voters were run by women.

One however candidate said though the candidates wanted transparent and fair elections but had “little doubt that this will be the case”. “We have doubts that some IEC staff have links with some candidates and they should be shifted from one district to another,” he said.

Over the past few weeks, ECC commissioners have been travelling around the country meeting candidates and get to know the situation on the ground as the country prepares to go to historic polls on 20 August.

Mr Kippen said they have visited Kunduz, Mazar-i-Sharif, Bamyan, Kandahar and Gardez, besides Jalalabad. “However, we haven’t been able to make it to Herat,” he added.

By Tilak Pokharel, UNAMA

Website: Electoral Complaints Commission