IEC chief appointment after draft law approval

KABUL) chairman would be appointed after the approval of a draft electoral law by the parliament, a high-level meeting agreed on Tuesday.

The agreement came at a meeting, chaired by President Hamid Karzai, on the replacement of the present election chief, Fazal Ahmad Manawi, whose three-year tenure expires at the end of April. 

National Security Advisor Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Bamyan Governor Habiba Sarabi and Chief of Staff to President Karim Khurram are reportedly considered for the slot.

Former jihadi members and political leaders were invited to the consultative meeting at the Presidential Palace.

But the main opposition alliance boycotted the session, slamming it as unconstitutional. A leader of the alliance, which involves 21 political parties, said they had skipped the meeting because it was violative of core democratic values.

Abbas Nawyan, a member of the coalition, argued duties and powers of the IEC and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) were yet to be ratified by the parliament.

A statement from Karzai’s office said both houses of the parliament were expected to adopt the proposed law on IEC structure, responsibilities and powers as soon as possible.

Sibghatullah Mujaddedi, Abdur Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Pir Syed Ahmad Gilani, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Asif Mohseni, Syed Mansoor Nadery, the two VPs, the chief justice, the senior minister, politicians and several MPs were among the 52 invitees.

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