Top poll officials seek funds, security

KABUL): Heads and members of both elections panels on Tuesday shared their financial and security problems with President Hamid Karzai, the Presidential Palace said.

The president, after listening to the handicaps of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Independent Electoral Complaints Commission, decided to call a meeting on the issue tomorrow.

Karzai said: “The upcoming elections are crucial to strengthening the foundations of democracy in Afghanistan. In fact, the country’s future stability depends upon these polls.”

In a statement from his office, the president said his administration remained committed to cooperating with the two election bodies.

According to the statement, he asked the panels to perform their duties “with absolute independence and reject internal and external interventions.

IEC Chairman Mohammed Yusuf Nuristani spoke about preparations for conducting the elections. They were making all possible efforts to hold the polls in a manner acceptable to the Afghan people, he added.

In order to address complaints about a shortage voter registration cards at some centers, he said mobile teams were trying to fix this problem.

But Nuristani pointed to transportation and security problems that the IEC members encountered in the field. He stressed the need for resolving the issue.

Abdul Sattar Sadat, the IECC head, said his panel had made progress in investigating complaints against presidential and provincial council runners in the presence of their representatives.

He called on the government to resolve the financial and security problems the IECC headquarters and provincial offices were faced with.

The participants agreed on the need for holding a meeting to be attended by ministers of interior and finance, the National Directorate of Security chief and heads of the commissions. The meeting on Wednesday will discuss the problems.

mud

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