The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan late on Sunday called on the electoral authorities of the country to safeguard the integrity and transparency of the recent parliamentary polling, especially concerning vote counting, tabulation and announcement of results.
In a statement, UNAMA urged the electoral authorities to act expeditiously in announcing the electoral timetable for presidential election, scheduled to take place on April 20 next year.
Referring to issues and shortcomings in electoral management during polling, UNAMA said that it looks forward to the authorities clearly communicating how these are being addressed, while ensuring the maximum level of independent scrutiny by observer entities.
It also called on political parties, the government, candidates and security institutions to oppose threats or disruption to the electoral process.
The statement noted that any citizen suspecting or witnessing fraud or irregularities should channel complaints through the relevant Afghan authorities, especially the Electoral Complaints Commission.
“In view of the challenging security environment in which the elections took place, the UN commends the many Afghans for their participation and recognizes the expectations citizens now have that the electoral authorities will ensure that their votes are counted and that any fraudulent ballots will be weeded out,” UNAMA said.
