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Pay Raise for Election Commissioners Faces Backlash

Monitoring organizations on Monday questioned President Ghani’s decision to adding Afs100,000 ($1,296) to the monthly salaries of members of the two election commissions.

A document seen by TOLOnews shows that President Ghani approved the addition to the salaries of the members of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission on July 5. Similar approval was made by the president for salaries of members of the Independent Election Commission a month earlier.

“These recommendations by the (electoral) institutions show their lack of their independence and the approval by the executive pillar, and the president shows a lack of respect for the independence of these institutions,” said Nasir Taimuri, a researcher at Integrity Watch Afghanistan.

“The salary of our teachers is less. We have economic problems. We request the president to stop such generosity,” said Azim Kebarzani, an MP.

“The motive and the decision raise questions. I don’t know which activity of theirs was praised by the president,” said Yusuf Rasheed, head of the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan.

The Presidential Palace did not comment on this.

Some Kabul residents said that the inefficiency of the electoral bodies led to the crisis in last year’s presidential elections and therefore this decision should not have been made by the president.

“Instead of helping needy citizens, they are adding Afs100,000 to the salary of election commissioners, the commissions who took the elections into a crisis,” said Wazir Aqa, a Kabul resident.

“This is a shame for the president to give a Afs100,000 additional salary to the commissioners,” said Shah Mohammad, a Kabul resident.

Pay Raise for Election Commissioners Faces Backlash

Election monitoring organizations and Kabul residents questioned Ghani’s decision to increase the salaries of the election commissioners.

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Monitoring organizations on Monday questioned President Ghani’s decision to adding Afs100,000 ($1,296) to the monthly salaries of members of the two election commissions.

A document seen by TOLOnews shows that President Ghani approved the addition to the salaries of the members of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission on July 5. Similar approval was made by the president for salaries of members of the Independent Election Commission a month earlier.

“These recommendations by the (electoral) institutions show their lack of their independence and the approval by the executive pillar, and the president shows a lack of respect for the independence of these institutions,” said Nasir Taimuri, a researcher at Integrity Watch Afghanistan.

“The salary of our teachers is less. We have economic problems. We request the president to stop such generosity,” said Azim Kebarzani, an MP.

“The motive and the decision raise questions. I don’t know which activity of theirs was praised by the president,” said Yusuf Rasheed, head of the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan.

The Presidential Palace did not comment on this.

Some Kabul residents said that the inefficiency of the electoral bodies led to the crisis in last year’s presidential elections and therefore this decision should not have been made by the president.

“Instead of helping needy citizens, they are adding Afs100,000 to the salary of election commissioners, the commissions who took the elections into a crisis,” said Wazir Aqa, a Kabul resident.

“This is a shame for the president to give a Afs100,000 additional salary to the commissioners,” said Shah Mohammad, a Kabul resident.

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