Anisa Shaheed

Differences have emerged between the two main electoral bodies – the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) and the Independent Election Commission (IEC) – over the recount of votes from 5,400 polling stations, determined after assessing 16,500 complaints.

The IEC has received a list of more than 5,400 polling stations where votes will be recounted, but the list is not “ordered,” according to the head of the IEC secretariat Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang.

He also said that if the IECC announces the 300,000 controversial votes as valid, the number of polling stations needing to be recounted will be reduced to 1,000.

Meanwhile, Nang said they have not been able to read the information from more than 200 polling stations in the data center.

“These provincial lists include exceptions and preliminary decisions that have been mentioned here and we have handed it to a technical team for analysis and this takes time,” Nang said.

According to the IECC, over 2,000 appeals were filed with the electoral body against its decisions on assessed complaints.

There could be a reduction in the number of votes that will be recounted after the assessment of the appeals, IECC spokesman Mohammad Qasim Elyasi said.

“If a decision is made, recounting will start after appeals are assessed. In that case, these polling stations will be reduced,” he added.

Monitoring organizations called for a quick decision by the IECC on the 300,000 controversial votes.

“There are big issues that should be assessed by the complaints commission, especially the appeals that will affect the decisions,” said Yusuf Rasheed, CEO of the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan.

The IECC has less than two weeks to announce a final decision on the assessed complaints so that the IEC can announce the final results of the September presidential