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MPs mixed over election court’s upcoming verdict

author avatar
20 Jun 2011 - 17:03
author avatar
20 Jun 2011 - 17:03

KABUL members on Monday said they would not accept any decision by the special election tribunal, which in two days is due to hand down its verdict on election fraud allegations stemming from last year’s parliamentary election.

Meanwhile, other MPs said they would back the panel.

The special election court, a panel of five judges, is tasked with investigating thousands of complaints about massive irregularities in last year’s parliamentary election. It was created last year by the Supreme Court and approved by the president after losing candidates launched a series of demonstrations against the announcement of final election results.

The court chief, Maulvi Sadiqullah, on Sunday told Pajhwok Afghan News that the court was due to announce its verdict in next two or three days.

A lawmaker from western Farah province, Mohammad Sarwar Usmani, called the special court an illegal body and said they would not accept its verdict. He said 140 lawmakers were ready to launch a protest movement if a single MP was disqualified in the wake of the verdict.

Another MP from northern Samangan province, Mohammad Zahir Zoheer, said they had repeatedly sought dissolution of the court, but their calls fell on deaf ears. He said the court was an unconstitutional body and had no right to challenge the election commission.

However, several others parliamentarians said they were supportive of the court decision.

Aryun Yun, a lawmaker from eastern Nangarhar province, said the court should not be influenced by any side, and those who made it to the house with the help of fraudulent votes should be unseated.

He said if the court’s decision was not accepted, people would lose their faith in the justice system.

“I will 100 percent support the court verdict if it is based on justice,” Naseema Niazi, a legislator from southern Helmand province, said.

She claimed that some high-ranking government officials were trying to convince the court not to expose the names of some of fraud-tainted politicians.

ma/at

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