Hawa Alam Nooristani, Chairwoman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), said on Wednesday that the IEC cannot invalidate about 300,000 differing votes before the recount and audit process ends.

Nooristani said those votes should be assessed in the recounting centers.

“We and our technical colleagues met with the representatives of candidates, and they (representatives) insist…that the commission invalidates the votes, but vote invalidation cannot happen through the IEC, we must go to the area and examine the boxes and then whatever is invalid we will not count-- invalid is invalid,” said Nooristani.

A number of electoral teams, especially Abdullah Abdullah’s, say that the 300,000 disputed votes have no biometric marks and must be invalided.

As a result, the election teams boycotted the recount process, and according to the IEC, the election teams have prevented recounts in seven provinces.

The IEC says about 8,000 votes cast in the presidential election should be recounted.

The recount process resumed after a four-day halt on Sunday.

According to the IEC, the recount process has been completed in 17 provinces, is ongoing in ten provinces, and has not started in seven provinces.

“We will announce the results base on the IEC timetable,” said Aurangzeb, a member of the Independent Election Commission.

“They have lost the ability to control the process. The whole work is done by the IEC secretariat and secretariat chief and provincial directors,” said Shahab Hakimi, a presidential candidate.

Based on the IEC timetable, the preliminary results should have been announced by October 19, but nearly two months have passed and still the preliminary results have not been announced.

Aurangzeb said: “Once the vote recounting process ends we will announce the results,” said Aurangzeb.