Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish on Monday applauded his fellow countrymen for having used their right to vote on Saturday and Sunday, saying the high voter turnout was testimony to the resolve of the people who want peace and stability.
Speaking at an event to mark World Standards Day in Kabul, Danish said the widespread participation of women and men in the parliamentary elections represents a profound change in society.
“This was the first elections led and managed by Afghans which demonstrates the government’s strength to manage the national process. The widespread participation of women represents a fundamental change in the country,” Danish said.
Danish also said that despite the challenges and fears, people bravely went to the polls.
“The clear message from the elections was that our citizens prefer to deal with political issues by using democratic tools, not through violence and conflict,” Danish said.
Calling on the opposition groups, Danish said that they must know that the people have chosen their way, and if they want to be alongside the people, they should pursue their goals through political means, not through violence.
Danish also acknowledged there had been shortcomings in the parliamentary election process and said that the electoral commission must address the people’s complaints against the process.
“Of course, we all know that there were a lot of problems during the election process, and there were many violations, we hope that the political parties, civil society organizations, candidates, observers, and all the people of Afghanistan will arrange their complaints in a principled way and hand to responsible institutions,” Danish added.
“This is the responsibility of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) to protect our people’s votes and respond to people’s complaints and electoral violations,” Danish added.
Danish also assured the public that soon parliamentary elections will be held in Kandahar and Ghazni provinces.