Afghan election body's chief calls on gov't, NATO to ensure security for elections

The newly-appointed Chief of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) Fazal Ahmad Manawi on Thursday called on Afghan government and NATO-led forces to ensure security for the upcoming parliamentary elections set for Sept. 18 and vowed to hold a free and fair election.

"IEC welcomes any proposal from national and international institutions for holding a free and fair parliamentary elections but security is vital for ensuring the electoral process," Manawi told an audience of IEC and Afghan officials in his first day of assuming office in the fortified IEC compound here in eastern Kabul.

Manawi, who served as a commissioner of IEC in the past and had worked in different capacity with governmentover the past eight years was appointed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai on April 17 after the former IEC chief and his deputy resigned over alleged involvement in last year's presidential polls.

He also asserted that he would spare no efforts to hold a transparent election that would be acceptable for Afghan people and international community.

"It is a crime to encroach the peoples' vote, it a treason," he said, adding that Afghanistan needs the help of international community for election but it should not expect Afghans to do as they wish. "We need the support of international community but any demand and interference will not be acceptable," Manawi said.

Meantime, the former chief of IEC Azizullah Ludin said that security is the main challenge for upcoming legislative votes adding it will face multiple problems.

The registration process, for Afghanistan's second parliamentary election since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001, begun on Tuesday.

Source: Xinhua