Kofi claims she was asked for bribe, slams IECC decision

Lawmaker Fawzia Kofi has demanded an investigation into the removal of her name from the list of candidates by the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC.
Addressing her supporters, the representative of Badakhshan’s people said her name had been struck off the list because she raised her voice against government schemes that served the interest of certain individuals.
The IECC removed the names of at least 35 candidates from the final list of contenders for the Wolesi Jirga election. The panel said she did not meet eligibility criteria.
But the MP claimed the Special Commission, tasked with evaluating election contenders, told her the people of Kofab district of Badakhshan had complained against her having a private militia.
Kofi rejected the allegation that she had private security personnel. The 16 people called her private militia were workers of the Education Department, she insisted.
She had appealed against the decision of the commission, which agreed to put her name back on the list of candidates, the MP added.
But despite clearance, the commission received a call from the Presidential Palace at 2:00am. The caller ordered the panel to remove her name from the list of candidates, she alleged.
“I don’t want to buy my way to parliament. When asked for money, I rejected the offer,” she disclosed.
Mullah Tarakhel Mohammadi, Ziaul Haq Amarkhel and Dr. Asadullah Ayub are the other candidates who have denounced the commission’s decision as unfair.