UN concerned over Afghan poll fraud allegations

UNITED NATIONS: Expressing concern over Afghan presidential candidate Abdulah Abdullah’s statement that he will suspend cooperation with the electoral process, the United Nations has called for respect of the country’s Constitution and laws, as well as its independent electoral institutions. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement it learned of the decision of Abdullah Abdullah to suspend his campaign’s cooperation with the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) at his press conference, in addition to his suggestion that a commission under UN supervision be created to oversee the election process. Dr Abdullah is reported to have alleged massive fraud in the early tallies from the June 14 run-off vote. The other candidate is Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. The winner will replace President Hamid Karzai in the country’s first-ever democratic handover of power. About Dr Abdullah’s announcement, UNAMA chief Ján Kubiš said that “regrettable as this step may be, we will continue to engage closely with both campaigns and the electoral commissions, consulting with them on a way forward.” He also recalled the code of conduct signed by both candidates where they pledged to cooperate with the electoral commissions. Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2014