Concerns Rise over Delays in Approving List of IECC Provincial Commissioners

The Independent Election Complaints Commission (IECC) expressed concerns as the commission’s list of 102 provincial commissioners has not been approved yet by President Ashraf Ghani.

It has been 45 days since the IECC has sent the list of its provincial commissioners to the Presidential Palace (ARG) for approval, but the commission is yet to get any response.

“We preserve our independence. If the list is not sensible for ARG, it shows that ARG has not been able to have an influence on the list,” said Abdul Aziz Aryaee, the head of IECC.

The members of the commission, meanwhile, warned of major challenges in the election process, if ARG continues to delay approval of the given list of the IECC provincial commissioners.

“This issue draws concerns for the IECC and it will seriously challenge the commission to register and address the objections and complaints,” said Ali Reza Rohani, a member of the IECC.

The Presidential Palace confirmed it has received the given list of IECC Provincial commissioners, but said that because of the lack in preserving gender, work experience and having a background information of the individuals being presented in the list, its approval has been delayed so far.