Election commissions agreed to consider votes cast without biometric identification valid if no complaints are lodged against them.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) reached the agreement on Tuesday after IECC declared the votes null and void early this week, but IEC stressed the votes were cast based on the voters list, so they should not be nullified.
In a joint conference on Tuesday, the electoral bodies announced that only those ballots would be invalidated that were cast without using biometric devices and complaints were lodged against them.
Sayed Hafizullah Hashimi, an IEC spokesman, said votes could only be nullified if there was enough evidence to prove they were rigged.
IECC spokesman Ali Riza Rouhani said:” According to the new decision of the electoral bodies, votes cast without biometric identification are valid unless there is credible and legal evidence or reason against them.”
“Votes of polling stations, where the original voters lists were not available and ballots were cast according to the hand written lists, are valid if the hand written lists match the original lists.”
He said if the two types of lists do not match each other, votes of those polling centers are invalid.
He further added that ballot boxes with no signature of the center’s chief and observers would also be considered invalidated.
According to him, IEC workers found to have been committed dereliction of duty on the day of election will be referred to the judiciary organs.
In the meantime, Hafizullah Hashimi said each commission formed a committee for joint work. “Commissions are committed to holding joint meeting in accordance with their procedures to solve electoral problems.”
He stressed the electoral bodies would safeguard the people’s votes by ensuring transparency.
