KABUL: Afghan lawmakers have passed a bill to give the controversial electoral complaints watchdog more power and independence for the upcoming elections, officials say.
The law, delayed for months in parliament, also defines the role and structure of the election commission, MP Naqibullah Fayeq said.
“They have approved the existence of the ECC (Electoral Complaints Commission), but with no foreign members,” he said, adding that the commission will have five members — all Afghans.
Last year, the government decided to scrap the UN-backed ECC, which investigates poll complaints, in favour of a tribunal that could give President Hamid Karzai more control over polls.
In the 2009 presidential election, the ECC, then made up of three Afghans and two UN representatives, investigated thousands of complaints, mostly related to alleged rigging by Karzai’s supporters.
The watchdog ordered ballots from 210 polling stations disqualified in a probe that forced Karzai to accept a second-round run-off until it was abandoned when his opponent Abdullah Abdullah pulled out.
Karzai has long pushed for foreign members to be removed from the ECC, saying their presence is an interference in Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
“The ECC still has the full power to invalidate fraudulent votes and will be the only body responsible to announce the final elections result,” Fayeq said.
Under the new law, a 15-member “selecting committee” of MPs, civil society representatives and political parties will choose the five members of the ECC and the head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) which is responsible for the administration of the polls.
In May, parliament approved an election law that defines voting mechanisms, sets conditions for candidacy, and explains how votes are tallied.
The UN mission welcomed the passing of the bill and called for it to be signed into law quickly.
Afghanistan is due to hold its presidential election in April next year.
Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since 2001, is to step down after his maximum two terms, with a new leader taking over in the first democratic transfer of power.
Top UN officials have highlighted the importance of the 2014 polls, stressing the need to ensure that they are free and fair and enjoy wide participation.
Agencies
