Karzai appoints 9 election panel members

KABUL): President Hamid Karzai appointed nine members of the Independent Election Commission on Monday, a day after he was sent a list of 28 nominees in line with a new poll law.

Najibullah Amin, the deputy head of the administrative affairs office at the Presidential Palace, told a news conference in Kabul Karzai had chosen nine of the candidates.

The newly- appointed IEC members are Abdur Rahman Hotaki, Gulalai Achakzai, Sharifa Zurmati, Ahmad Yousaf Nuristani, Sareer Ahmad Barmak, Laila Ihrari, Qazi Suleman Hamid, Mohammad Aziz Bakhtiari and Mohammad Hussain Garziwani.

In mid-July, a joint commission of both houses of parliament approved a new election law, envisaging the creation of a committee to introduce Electoral Complaints Commission and IEC members to the president.

The committee includes parliamentary speakers, the chief justice, civil society representatives, human rights campaigners and other officials.

Due to differences, civil society groups have not yet named their representatives for the committee, which jerked into action last week.

Of the 345 candidates for IEC members, 269 met the required terms and conditions and submitted their applications to the committee.

On July 20, President approved the election law that has the 16 chapters and was adopted by a joint parliamentary team.

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