Fazl Hadi Muslimyar, speaker of the Upper House of Afghan parliament, has vowed that he will compel the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to count ballots cast without biometric verification.
“I have heard from my friends that the head of the election commission has said that non-biometric votes won’t be counted,” Muslimyar said addressing the house. “We will make even their father count it…how can you violate people’s right?”
This comes as IEC Chief Hawa Alam Nuristani reiterated that non-biometric votes will not be counted.
Meanwhile, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who is a candidate in the election, condemned Muslimyar’s remarks as “irresponsible”, and asked him to apologize to the commissions.
He also called for legal action.
Saturday’s presidential election in Afghanistan marked first time that biometric verification devices were used in such a vote. The machines are aimed at preventing fraud which marred previous presidential vote in 2014.
UN envoy to Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, while visiting IEC’s data center, called on election commissions to act responsibly.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has applauded “the courage of Afghan voters, poll workers, and security forces who made Afghan election possible despite technical challenges and security threats.
“Afghanistan’s institutions must take all necessary steps to transparently tabulate results and investigate complaints,” Pompeo said in a tweet.
