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Ghani, IEC ‘Orders’ Provincial Chiefs Not To Share Details

A number of provincial heads of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said they have been ordered by the president not to release voter registration details to the media.

A number of these IEC officials said the election commission leadership team in Kabul has also ordered them not to share details with the media. 

Some provincial chiefs said President Ashraf Ghani ordered them, during a video conference, to only release details to the IEC in Kabul.  

“This itself is a type of corruption,” Abdullah Siddiqi, a member of Badakhshan provincial council said. 

“If they do not share the information, the distrust between people and the commission will increase,” Mohammad Ibrahim Khair Andish, a member of Balkh provincial council said. 

A number of residents meanwhile said such orders from the president and the election commission was questionable. They urged government and the IEC to be transparent.  

"All the people are worried about why the figures are not being shared with them daily," Ehsanullah Hamidi, a resident of Paktia province said.

Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah meanwhile said the voter registration process must be successful. 

"If this process fails, then all political situations in the country will face challenges," said Abdullah. 

The Presidential Palace said the IEC is the only body that has the authority to share information regarding the voter registration and election process. 

“Election commission is the only official body that can give information regarding the number of voters and the president's order clearly says that no one and no department has the right to interfere in the election process,” the president’s deputy spokesman Shahhussain Murtazavi said. 

Watchdogs overseeing the election process meanwhile said they have also not been given the exact number of registered voters. 

Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan has said the president’s move will pave the way for electoral fraud.

“Our monitors have been prohibited from taking pictures at the registration centers and we believe that this will question the credibility of the process,” Yusuf Rasheed, executive director of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan said. 

The election commission however said the provincial chiefs have the authority to share the information regarding the number of registered voters with the media and with institutions overseeing election process. 

“The (orders) were only given to prevent the release of different figures, but on a provincial level the chiefs can share their figures,” IEC commissioner Maliha Hassan said. 

Some analysts meanwhile questioned the credibility of data coming from provinces as no database has been created.  

Currently the IEC is sent updated figures from provincial chiefs by phone or email.  

Ghani, IEC ‘Orders’ Provincial Chiefs Not To Share Details

Provincial IEC heads said they were instructed by the president and the commission not to release voter registration details to the media.

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A number of provincial heads of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said they have been ordered by the president not to release voter registration details to the media.

A number of these IEC officials said the election commission leadership team in Kabul has also ordered them not to share details with the media. 

Some provincial chiefs said President Ashraf Ghani ordered them, during a video conference, to only release details to the IEC in Kabul.  

“This itself is a type of corruption,” Abdullah Siddiqi, a member of Badakhshan provincial council said. 

“If they do not share the information, the distrust between people and the commission will increase,” Mohammad Ibrahim Khair Andish, a member of Balkh provincial council said. 

A number of residents meanwhile said such orders from the president and the election commission was questionable. They urged government and the IEC to be transparent.  

"All the people are worried about why the figures are not being shared with them daily," Ehsanullah Hamidi, a resident of Paktia province said.

Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah meanwhile said the voter registration process must be successful. 

"If this process fails, then all political situations in the country will face challenges," said Abdullah. 

The Presidential Palace said the IEC is the only body that has the authority to share information regarding the voter registration and election process. 

“Election commission is the only official body that can give information regarding the number of voters and the president's order clearly says that no one and no department has the right to interfere in the election process,” the president’s deputy spokesman Shahhussain Murtazavi said. 

Watchdogs overseeing the election process meanwhile said they have also not been given the exact number of registered voters. 

Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan has said the president’s move will pave the way for electoral fraud.

“Our monitors have been prohibited from taking pictures at the registration centers and we believe that this will question the credibility of the process,” Yusuf Rasheed, executive director of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan said. 

The election commission however said the provincial chiefs have the authority to share the information regarding the number of registered voters with the media and with institutions overseeing election process. 

“The (orders) were only given to prevent the release of different figures, but on a provincial level the chiefs can share their figures,” IEC commissioner Maliha Hassan said. 

Some analysts meanwhile questioned the credibility of data coming from provinces as no database has been created.  

Currently the IEC is sent updated figures from provincial chiefs by phone or email.  

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