KABUL (PAN): The Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA) chief on Thursday asked the government to give political parties and civil society groups greater representation in monitoring next year’s election in order to have a credible vote.
TEFA Director Mohammad Naeem Ayubzada told a press conference in Kabul political parties and civil society groups should have a key role in election monitoring for the sake of a transparent, free and fair ballot.
“If political parties and civil society groups are denied a monitoring role in the process, the elections could lose their credibility,” he warned.
He also urged civil society groups to fully participate in the April 5 presidential and provincial council elections, saying the ballots had enormous importance for Afghanistan and should be made a success.
Ayubzada called on political parties and the government to avoid interfering in the affairs of civil society groups and instead help them play a positive role in the elections.
He said there were many challenges in the lead-up to the elections and if these challenges were not overcome, the election timetable could be changed.
“Insecurity, the lack of people’s interest in elections, distrust and the dearth of cooperation among the departments concerned, the denial of greater representation to political groups are some of the problems which may undermine the fate of the elections,” he feared.
He suggested the government, civil society and political forces should join hands to deal with challenges hindering efforts at holding transparent and credible elections.
Ayubzada also said civil society members should be included in the selection committee which would propose names of members on the Election Complaints Commission.
He and the Afghanistan Civil Society Joint Working Committee chief Nadir Naderi have been rejected as members of the selection committee because civil society groups have to name one of them as their representative.
Ayubzada said committee members should allow civil society to introduce its nominee for the committee and should not sacrifice its presence in the body for the sake of their own political goals.
Also present on the occasion was Independent Election Commission spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor, who said they were paving the ground for civil society activists to closely monitor the process at every polling centre.
He said the past experience showed there had been problems in polling centres where observers could not reach. “There is no bar on political parties, civil society groups and the media to monitor election process,” he concluded.
by:Abasin Zaheer
source:http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2013/08/01/poll-monitoring-role-civil-society-urged
