EU seeks early approval of IEC structure law

KABUL) structure and upcoming polls.

“It’s critical that without further delay, and prior to the parliamentary recess, both IEC Structure Law and the Electoral Law are approved and enacted,” Ambassador Vygaudas Ušackas told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The presence of an electoral legislative framework was a prerequisite for credible elections, he insisted, saying the early ratification of the legislative measures would ensure their implementation before the presidential candidates’ nomination started on September 16.

Vygaudas Ušackas said the Senior Official Meeting (SOM) meeting on the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF) had reconfirmed the long-term partnership between the international community and Afghanistan.

The European Union stayed committed to supporting Afghanistan, as envisaged in the legally-binding 10-year Cooperation Agreement for Partnership and Development (CAPD). The deal would be finalised “very soon”, he hoped.

At Wednesday’s meeting in Kabul, both the international community and Afghan representatives agreed the 2014 presidential and provincial elections would be a major factor in consolidating past achievements, defining the legacy of the outgoing government and the future of the transition process.

The ambassador hoped the message had been received that only inclusive and transparent elections with a legitimate outcome would justify the exceptional support committed in Tokyo.

Representatives from more than 50 nations and international organisations attended the event. Both sides renewed their vows to cling to the TMAF — a mechanism aimed to ensure transparent aid utilisation and the economic growth of Afghanistan.

On July 8, 2012, donors at the conference in Japan had pledged to give Afghanistan $6b in civilian aid over the next four years to safeguard its future. As Afghanistan accepted new conditions to stem endemic corruption, the US, Japan, Germany and the UK led the way in offering assistance.

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