Interview with Spokesperson to Independent Election Commission, Mr. Noor Mohammad Noor about the upcoming Preliminary Elections.
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Interview Dari
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Interview Pashto
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Read the transcript of the interview in English
Spokesperson to the IEC, Mr. Noor Mohammad Noor, Thank you very much for giving us the time. Could you give me some information about the upcoming Preliminary Elections?
You are welcome, I say hello to all of your listeners. As you know, the IEC recently shared the timetable for the upcoming parliamentary elections with media. It includes the dates and times for the consecutive steps of the elections and till now, we carry out our activities according to that timetable but the budget issue is not still clear for us. We asked the International Community and the Afghan Government to provide us budget for holding elections but we have not still received any positive or negative answer about it anyway we are busy on fulfilling the preliminary works. From 16th January 2010, we started the information providing process to the people who want to become candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections in 34 provinces of the country. An information package has been made for them so they can receive it. Finally, the Candidates Registration Process will be started officially from 23rd January 2010 and it will end on 6th February 2010.
According to preparation, what is difference between the Parliamentary elections and presidential elections?
The operation plan, made for the presidential and provincial councils' elections, will be implemented also for holding the parliamentary elections. In the last elections, we held elections for two aims, the presidency and provincial councils but this time it is only for one aim which is parliamentary elections so there is not big difference in operation plan. We got some experiences and lessons from the last elections due to that we decreased or increased the voting centers in some regions. In some places the locations of the voting centers have been changed because we try to create a secure and proper space for people to get participation in this national process and elect their favorite representative for parliament by their votes.
How is the candidacy process? I mean how and who can register themselves as candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections?
The standards and rules for a person who want to become candidate exist in the Elections Law of Afghanistan. It is very simple. First, the person who wants to become candidate in the parliamentary elections should not be aged lower than 25 years. He/She should not be accused of any crime in any court, should not be member of any armed illegal group. He/She should resign, if he/she is employee of the police, army or NDS. Also, he should resign, if he is working on the post of head of a department, provincial governor and minister. The people who want to become candidates of the upcoming parliamentary elections, should have three hundred supporters from the relevant province. He/she must have signatures, copies, and serial numbers of the voting cards and also full identifications of them. The candidates should give ten thousand Afghanis as guarantee to the IEC. If they didn't win or didn't get the specific amount of votes, the IEC will not give back the money to them. The person who wants to register himself as a candidate should go to our provincial office. In parliamentary elections every province is the electoral Zone. We have 34 plus one electoral zones including one zone for Kuchis so they can go to our provincial office. For example, if someone wants to candidate himself in Nangarhar, he/she should go to our Nangarhar Provincial Office but if someone wants to candidate himself in Badakhshan, he should refer to our provincial office in Badakhshan and register himself there so he is not obliged to come to our central office.
What preparations have been taken by the IEC for holding the upcoming parliamentary elections yet?
till now, we have made some operational plans and talked to the security organs. The materials remained from the last elections, have been reorganized to use them in the upcoming elections. Some preparations have been taken in the provinces to perform this mission very well. This is responsibility of the Afghan and Foreign Security Forces to create secure space for the IEC workers, Electoral Materials and voters. We discussed this issue with the security organs. The IEC doesn't have special budget so the International Community provide it for us. We asked from them to provide us the budget and we are waiting to receive an answer about it.
Which steps have been taken to prevent the violations in the upcoming parliamentary elections and what lessons have you taken from the last elections in this site?
Some people claimed in the last elections that violations took place. Anyway, the violations in elections are also performed in developed countries even in the elections held by the digital systems but it belongs to level. The IEC has created a mechanism to prevent violation and took some lessons from the last elections. We will not hire again the workers who didn't follow the rules in the last elections. We have dismissed those provincial employees of the IEC who outlawed the rules of IEC in the last elections. We have taken some steps together with the security organs in the regions to prevent the violations in the upcoming elections but it is still insisted that it is a great process and there should be the voting center in every village or area of the country. We took serious preparations to prevent violations in the upcoming elections.
Will you hold the voting registration process again and can the people use their old cards again in the upcoming parliamentary elections?
Yes, they can use them to vote. If we received the budget, from 1st Hooth till Hamal 30th 1388 solar year, we will create the voters registration centers one for females and one for males in each province for those people who recently returned to their country, newly became 18 years old or lost their cards so they can go to those centers to get the card from the motioned date.
On which standard or policy do you hire the workers in the next elections?
We have a special mechanism for employment of workers. There are different categories of workers in IEC. There are around five hundred governmental or permanent workers of the IEC in all over the country. We also have project based workers who are employed to work from two days to two months in the election process. We have a competitive employment system for them. They are hired through the exams and interviews. Then they sign a commitment letter to follow the rules of the IEC during the elections and be loyal to the mission and they must not support any other foundation or party. If the people are found that support other parties, candidates or outlaw the rules of IEC, they will be dismissed. If any worker is employed in this process, should not have membership of any party or candidate and we also investigate about him/her. If the IEC employment staff known that he is linking to any party or support a candidate, then he will not be hired.
How can you assure the people that the violation will be prevented to a great extant in the upcoming elections?
As I said before, it is a great process. It is held at the level of the country. There are more than 300 districts in Afghanistan and 34 provinces. We will use all of our personnel, facilities, efforts to prevent the violation in this national process and hold transparent elections. An effective mechanism has been made to achieve this goal.
Thank you very much.
You are welcome.
