Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) says it needs $192 million to hold the upcoming presidential and provincial council elections.

The required budget will be provided by the international community and the Afghan government after reforms in the electoral bodies.

“The initial budget is estimated around $192 million that will be provided by the international community and the government,” said Mawlana Abdullah, a member of the IEC.

Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Afghan security institutions and the IEC on Thursday.

At the event, the Minister of Interior Affairs (MoI), Massoud Andarabi promised that the Afghan forces will maintain the security of election processes and will remain neutral during the elections.

Afghanistan presidential election will be held on 28 September 2019. Originally it was scheduled to be held on 20 April, but later it was delayed two times after problems raised in using a biometric system and finalizing results of Afghan parliamentary elections.