When decisions and responsibilities of institutions are not respected, a state of anarchy begins to prevail. The philosophy of establishment of institutions is to manage affairs and make relevant decisions. If an institution is not assigned tasks or if its decisions are not accepted, there is no reason to form or maintain it. To handle election affairs in Afghanistan, the government has formed two bodies – the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC). The responsibility of these institutions is not only to hold elections but also determine and announce the winner and loser of election. Thus, no candidates are allowed to prejudge the outcome of the election and declare the winner or loser.
With the election now over, both leading candidates – President Ashraf Ghani and his chief executive officer Dr. Abdullah — claim victory. President Ghani’s team says that 60 to 70 percent of the votes have been cast in their favor, while the rival team led by Dr. Abdullah claims victory in the first round besides accusing President Ghani’s ticket of vote-rigging. These claims come as the electoral commissions are yet to make any statements about the results of the election, and even votes of some provinces have not yet been counted. Instead of waiting for the official announcement of the result of the election by the electoral bodies, the candidates’ unilateral claims of victory will contribute to another electoral dispute.
Defying Taliban threats, Afghans risked their lives to go to the polls and have made an effort to shape their future. Thus, the presidential tickets, especially the two frontrunners, must respect the will of people, and allow the electoral institutions to announce the official results. Any claims before the official announcement is an affront to the election institutions, their decisions and people’s will. This shows that the candidates prefer their individual interests to the legitimacy of institutions. Afghanistan needs to strengthen its institutions, something that is only possible through reforms and respect for their decisions.
Objections to and concerns about the results of election are natural. If any candidate has any concerns or issues with the results, he or she can refer to the laws, and follow the concerns through legal channels. The presidential tickets should not turn a national process like election into a crisis. They have to wait until the announcement of preliminary results, and afterwards, their complaints and allegations of fraud will be investigated in the light of applicable laws.
