FEFA Highlights Shortcomings in Electoral Reforms Package

Free & Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA) highlighted some shortages at the short-term electoral reform package recommended by the Special Electoral Reform Commission.

FEFA officials say they have found two major shortcomings in the recommended package; firstly, flaws and contradictions are seen in some articles of the package; secondly, there is ambiguity on implementing mechanisms of some recommendations made by the special commission.

“There are some important points which needs to be considered and included as a part of the electoral reforms plan like, the relation among the electoral commissions and their provincial offices that how provincial officials will be assigned,” Mohammad Yousuf Rashid, the Chief Executive of FEFA said.

Earlier President Ghani hailed the Special Electoral Reforms Commission’s recommendations regarding the electoral reform and approved 7/11 recommendations of the Special Commission by issuing a presidential decree.

FEFA as an observer organization further recommends that electoral fraud and violations was also supposed to be included as electoral crimes in the package.

Rashid also said,” another short-coming is the distribution of duties, the working areas of the Commissions members must be specified who should work on where.”

These considerations and recommended package of the Special Electoral Reforms Commission comes as the Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced on Saturday that they will soon announce the date and timeline of the parliamentary and district council elections.

Reported by: Nasrat Parsa