Election commissions seem that they will not be able to reveal the preliminary results of the September 28 presidential election on time. Speaking at a press conference in Kabul on Monday, the Intendent Election Commission (IEC) officials said their technical team was working to determine when the initial results could be announced. According to the election timeline, the preliminary results should be announced on October 19, thereby allowing the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) a specific period of time to address complaints and pave the way for the announcement of final results.
The responsibility of the electoral commissions is not only to hold the election but also to declare the preliminary and final results as scheduled. Prior to announcing the election timeline, IEC should have considered all the resources and challenges as to when it could reveal the election results. IEC’s violation of its timeline now shows its failure, and can further deepen the electoral crisis. The more the election results are delayed, the greater the room for complaints and possibility of challenging the election results.
Another problem is that it is still unclear if the election has a winner in the first round or if there is going to be a run-off. If the election results are delayed longer when the weather gets cold, then it becomes impossible to hold the second round of election in many areas of the country due to cold weather and snowfall. If the election commission still proceeds with the election, the voter turnout, which has already raised questions about the legitimacy of the new government, will further drop. If the run-off election is delayed for the spring, a political vacuum will emerge in the country which can exacerbate the situation.
Given the perils and ramifications of delay in announcement of election results, the electoral institutions must make every effort to stay on schedule in their affairs, thereby saving the country from sliding into another electoral crisis. No doubt the transparency of election is a key tenet of legitimacy; however, if time is wasted under the ploy of transparency, it can lead to an electoral crunch which will be difficult for Afghanistan to overcome. IEC and IECC should realize their responsibilities, responsibly announce the preliminary results first and then the final results to respect the votes of people, and bravely defend their decisions. They should utilize all resources and means at their disposal to protect the country from plunging into another electoral crisis.
