Fraud-tainted poll workers to be blacklisted

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) on Thursday decided to blacklist the officials who were found involved in rigging the polls.

IECC Chairman Abdul Sattar Sadat told reporters in Kabul that some officials had been identified favouring one candidate or the other in the June 14 second round of the election.

He said investigations would be launched against the permanent and contract employees of the commissions to determine whether or not they were involved in election fraud.

Sadat added the decision equally applied to IECC and Independent Election Commission (IEC) staff. Those found guilty of committing irregularities would be punished as per the law, he promised.

Earlier, IEC secretary Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhel had resigned his post following a clash with the Kabul police chief over the delivery of ballot boxes to a polling centre.

But IECC spokesman Nadir Mohseni informed the commission had sought help from the UN and Afghan agencies to prove the credibility of the alleged telephonic conversation.

nh/mud

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