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IDLG defends governors against fraud charges

IDLG defends governors against fraud charges

author avatar
29 Jun 2014 - 17:55
IDLG defends governors against fraud charges
author avatar
29 Jun 2014 - 17:55

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) has rejected allegations of electoral fraud raised against provincial governors by presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah’s campaign team.

Abdullah’s Reforms and Unanimity team has recently released some documents and audio and video recordings allegedly contained evidence of fraud against the governors of southeastern Paktika and central Maidan Wardak provinces.

However, both the governors have rejected the recordings as fake. Paktika governor Mohibullah Samim said on Sunday that tactics aimed at maligning the hard-won Afghans’ right to vote must be stopped.

On Friday, thousands of supporters of Abdullah took to the streets of Kabul to protest alleged electoral fraud and the government’s failure to take it seriously.

Abdullah has already rejected the official election results, weeks before they were due to be released, accusing President Karzai and his aides of engineering fraud in favour his rival. He has asked the UN to oversee the vote-counting process .

In a statement, the IDLG said it had circulated a presidential decree warning government officials in all provinces against interfering in the electoral process. The decree was circulated ahead of the first and second round of the presidential election.

It said government officials in provinces had been issued letters asking them to adhere to the spirit of impartiality during the elections.

Defending the statements of the two governors in reaction to the allegations, the IDLG said it had not yet relieved any complaint or evidence from the electoral bodies about the involvement of government officials in electoral fraud.

The IDLG assured it would take action under the presidential decree against officials appointed by it if evidence was produced against them by the two electoral commissions – the legal authorities to hold elections.

The IDLG believed successful conduct of the first and second round of the presidential elections strengthened the foundation of democracy in Afghanistan.

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