After announcing the date for presidential election, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Wednesday said it had started preparing budget plan for the next year’s polls.
IEC chief Abdul Baday Sayyad told a press conference here that the next presidential election would be held on April 20, 2019.
Sayyad said all IEC teams were busy getting preparations for holding the Wolesi Jirga and district council elections on October 20 besides focusing on a budget plan for the next presidential election.
“We chose this date for the next presidential election because it is the time when the weather becomes normal in all provinces and all people can participate in the election,” he said.
He said before specifying the date for the presidential polls, the IEC had discussed it with all political parties and civil society institutes.
Sayyad said the IEC was fully prepared for the 2019 presidential election and efforts would be made to hold the polls fairly and transparently.
President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) had previously asked the IEC to announce the presidential election date as soon as possible.
The Presidential Palace welcomed the announcement of the presidential election date and said the government would take necessary measures for the democratic exercise.
On the other hand, Sayed Hafizullah Hashemi, the IEC spokesman, said: “The date for the presidential election was officially announced today, the commission would also specify the date for the district council elections after some discussions.”
He asked the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) to share their assessment of the initial list of candidates in Wolesi Jirga and district councils elections so the IEC could announce it to the public as per schedule.
According to the IEC, more than 8.9 million Afghans, including over three million women, have registered to vote in this year’s parliamentary and district council elections, and for the 2019 presidential ballot.
