The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) said on Sunday that 275 complaints regarding fraud and electoral violations had been registered with the institution since polls closed on Election Day. The complaints commission said the number would likely increase, and urged the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to cooperate in fielding complaints from provinces around the country.
Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah delivered an impassioned, game-changing speech at a press conference in Kabul late Sunday night. Abdullah said he would not accept the results of Saturday's election unless the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) Chief Electoral Officer, Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhail, is suspended and a full investigation into his possible involvment in electoral fraud is conducted.
Officials from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Ministry of Defense (MoD) have highlighted their success in preventing militants from disrupting this year's election process following Saturday's presidential runoff vote.
The second round election, much like the first round in April, proceeded without any major issues related to insurgent violence as millions of voters around the country were able to cast their ballots for the country's next president.
Bravant les menaces des talibans, des millions d'Afghans ont voté samedi au second tour de la présidentielle pour désigner le successeur de Hamid Karzaï, un scrutin dont la tenue même dans un climat d'instabilité persistante constitue un succès majeur pour le pays.
Al menos 14 personas han fallecido y 41 han resultado heridas como consecuencia de actos de violencia perpetrados durante la celebración de la segunda ronda de las presidenciales de este sábado en Afganistán, según ha informado el viceministro del Interior afgano Mohammad Ayub Salangi a la cadena Tolo News.
Afghans go to the polls for the second time in nearly three months to choose a new leader who will replace the long-serving President Hamid Karzai at a sensitive time when foreign forces are nearing exit.
Early Saturday morning both presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai, headed to the polls to cast their votes in the first second-round elections.
After Dr. Abdullah cast his ballot at Istiqlal High School in Kabul, he addressed the public and election officials asking the Afghan government and electoral commissions to perform their duties responsibly and effectively. He asserted that his team will not tolerate a fraudulent process.
The United Nations (UN) Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Afghanistan, Nicholas Haysom, has praised the election commission's initiatives in tackling challenges witnessed in the election process.
Haysom was pleased to see that the process was completely managed by Afghans and stated that the election preparations were better than the first round.
“In comparison to other elections, we can say that [the runoff] has provided a significant opportunity for Afghans to ensure that the elections are free and fair,” he said.
Afghan refugees in Pakistan have spoken out to encourage their countrymen to vote in this year’s presidential runoff. Denied the right to participate themselves, the refugees also made appeals to the candidates for support in protecting their rights abroad and paving the way for repatriation.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said that essential election materials have been delivered to more than 300 districts across the country and by the end of Friday all materials will be delivered to all districts of Afghanistan, at a press conference in Kabul on Thursday.
As Saturday’s runoff vote nears, Afghan election monitoring groups and the presidential candidates' teams have looked to expedite the certification process for the observers they hope to have overseeing the process. For international observers, however, the race for credentials has been a bit less busy, with fewer expected to participate in the runoff than did in the first round.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) Spokesperson Gen. Zahir Azimi said that the Afghan National Army (ANA) are ready and equipped to defy any threats on the nation on Election Day at news conference in Kabul on Monday.
Gen. Zahir said that ANA soldiers understand the shortcomings of the first round, adding that they have been trained and prepared to be more alert for the runoff election.
June 14 runoff will hold in peaceful and safe situation, Azimi said.
On the last day of runoff campaigns, main team members of losing presidential candidate Qutbuddin Helal endorsed frontrunner candidate Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday.
When Second Vice President of Qutbuddin Helal, Mohammad Ali Nabizada, announced his and the teams support for Dr. Abdullah, Helal later in the day announced his support for Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai.
“We, the ‘change and transformation team’ announce our support for Abdullah Abdullah,” Nabizada said. "About 99 percent of us agree with this decision."
Based on a recent decision undertaken by the Independent Election Commission (IEC), each runoff candidate would be provided a copy of the result sheet after voting ends.
In the first round of elections there were four copies of the result sheets, of which none was given to the presidential candidates. Originally, the result sheets were divided between the IEC headquarter, IEC provincial offices, the observers and pasted on the walls of polling centers.
Addressing a crowd of women in Kabul on Monday, presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai promised to address the many challenges facing women across the country and to form a more inclusive government, including the nomination of a female to the Afghan Supreme Court.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Monday reported that from the total number of 6,423 polling centers introduced to security institutions, 184 centers will be closed during the second round of the elections. Security institutions have stated that they will share their assessments with IEC shortly.
In addition, IEC Spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor announced that primary and sensitive election materials have been transferred to at least 61 districts via air and land.
Hedayat Amin Arsala, former presidential candidate, endorsed presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai in Kabul on Monday saying that i joined Ghani because of the similarity on our thoughts and programs.
Arsala said that as a team they "will work together to bring peace to Afghanistan." He asked his supporters to vote for Dr. Ghani-Ahmadzai this coming Saturday.
“Today I announced my support to Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, because he has the capability to manage the national affairs of the country in the future and restore peace,” Arsala said.
The Ahmad Shah Massoud Foundation endorsed front-running presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul on Monday.
Speaking at the event was head of the Massoud Foundation, Ahmad Wali Massoud, who said that the foundation will work with Dr. Abdullah and his team to improve the situation of Afghanistan.
“We will work together to advance the situation of Afghanistan; we will try together,” Massoud said.
Dr. Abdullah took the stage after the announcement and asked that the people vote on Saturday to strive for democracy in Afghanistan.
