Over 200 election complaints referred to AGO

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) on Sunday said 200 complaints had been referred to the Attorney General Office (AGO).

IECC officials told a news conference in Kabul of the 3,000 complaints they had received, 2,212 had been addressed and 792 others were still under review.

Deputy Secretary Wahid Akbar Sarwari said only six complaints pertained to presidential candidates and the rest were against provincial council runners.

He added 502 objections had been raised to candidates’ qualifications, 52 about their age limit, 25 about election campaigns and 40 about the provincial candidates’ failure to defend themselves.

IECC Secretary Mohammad Ali Setigh called 2013 a year of democratic growth period when President Hamid Karzai approved the two election bodies — IECC and Independent Election Commission.

He insisted the IECC had properly addressed the complaints, asking civil society organisations and media outlets to help them prevent fraud and interference in the process.

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