News - Afghanistan

Old election identification cards will be a major source of fraud in the 2014 presidential election and so should be destroyed, the Coordination Council of Political Parties (CCPP) in Afghanistan said Monday.

The council members emphasised the need to ensure that new electronic identification cards are distributed prior to 2014 to decrease the incidence of fraudulent voting – and increase the chance of a transparent and fair election.

"The old voting cards should be nullified because they are the source of massive fraud and forgery in the upcoming election," member of National Front Mohammad Natiqi said in a press briefing in Kabul on Monday, urging the government, international community and the country's election commission to prepare the new content for the voters and work on distributing new voting cards.

Another member of the council and the National Front Mohammad Asem said, "We see a more transparent election in the distribution of new voting cards. The government should take necessary steps in this regard."

The members also backed Parliament's decision to approve two foreign commissioners of the seven on the board of the Election Complaints Commission (ECC).

"Parliament, as the representative of Afghan people, has the right to approve the presence of two foreign election commissioners at the Election Complaints Commission,"
member of Hezb-e-Wadat Asadullah Sahadati said.

President Hamid Karzai has publicly spoken out against the parliamentary decision – yet to be approved by the Senate – to have two foreign commissioners on the ECC board, saying that it goes against Afghanistan's sovereignty.

Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizi said just over a week ago that Afghanistan was capable of holding a transparent and fair election without the foreign oversight which should be seen as "outside" intervention in Afghanistan's political affairs.