Partial results from April 5 polls likely tomorrow

KABUL (Pajhwok): Vote count results from last weekend’s presidential and provincial council elections have reached the central capital Kabul from various provinces for a recount and some partial results are likely to be announced on Saturday, an official said on Friday.

Noor Mohammad Noor, the Independent Election Commission spokesman, told reporters in Kabul that 84 percent of the results from various provinces had reached the IEC main office in Kabul and 25 percent of the outcome had been entered into the commission’s data system after a recount, with work on the rest ongoing.

He said suspect ballot boxes reaching from provinces to the IEC headquarters had been quarantined to clean out fraudulent votes, a process to be carried out in the presence of observers and media representatives. He said fraudulent votes would be invalidated.

A day earlier, the IEC said ballot boxes had reached all the provincial capitals, expect from four districts of western Farah province.

But Noor said the materials from all districts, except one in Farah, had been delivered to provincial IEC offices. “The IEC is ready to announce a high percentage of partial results tomorrow (Saturday),” said Noor.

More than seven million Afghans voted in the landmark presidential election last weekend. If successful, the elections will usher in the country’s first democratic handover of power as President Karzai prepares to step down after more than 12 years in office.

If none of the candidates gets more than 50 per cent of votes cast, a runoff will have to be held, considerably prolonging the wait for a winner to be declared until late May.

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