A number of electoral observers and political parties urged the dismissal of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) members on Tuesday.

Naeem Asghari, the program manager of Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA) said that serious reforms are required at the leadership level of the IEC.

Habibullah Shinwari, a member of the Election and Transparency Watch of Afghanistan (ETWA) organization said that the IEC must make clear what are the plans for reforms.

Some others went further and asked that IEC members must be prosecuted for dereliction of their duties.

“We don’t want reforms in the IEC. There should be no misunderstanding. We want the dismissal of seven commissioners, the Chief of the IEC Secretariat and the IEC provincial directors who are accused of committing fraud,” Khalil Rauf, a civil society activist added.

Recently, the UNAMA and the U.S. ambassador in Kabul called for critical reforms in Afghanistan’s election bodies.

“Afghan people deserve elections bodies that are non-political, highly capable, and staffed with experts who can restore public trust in the elections process,” John R. Bass, the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan said in an online statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, Hamayoun Jarir, a member of the Hezb-e Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar demands reforms in the electoral bodies.

“Electoral system must be changed. Biometric system must be used effectively and practically. In addition, all election process must be observed,” Jarir said.

Malyha Hassan, a member of the IEC says the reform package will include internal changes within the Commission including the capacity building efforts and filling the vacancies.