The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Sunday welcomed the announcement of preliminary results from the presidential election.
The UN mission also lauded the work of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), leading up to the announcement.
“On September 28, the Afghans braved security threats to cast their votes for a better future; those voters deserve to be commended for carrying out their civic duty,” said the UN secretary-general’s special representative.
In a statement, Tadamichi Yamamoto said: “Now, all Afghan authorities and actors must demonstrate their commitment to safeguard and complete the election, and to protect the integrity of the final stage of the process.”
Any decisions taken by the electoral bodies in the final stage of the process must have clear legal and technical justifications and should be explained to the people in clear terms, he stressed
The UNAMA underscored the importance of an orderly process, conducted with care and sensitivity, leading up to the announcement of the final results.
The mission called the election process a joint responsibility of all stakeholders, including the electoral panels and the candidates, as well as media and civil society.
“All candidates have the chance to raise any concerns they may have through the appropriate mechanism and within the prescribed time, in accordance with the relevant legal frameworks, regulations and procedures,” said Yamamoto.
“At the same time, the ECC has an obligation to adjudicate any complaints it receives transparently and thoroughly so the election process may conclude in a credible manner.”
