Nader Mohseni, the Spokesman of the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), on Sunday said that the commission has received a total of 15 complaints about Presidential and Provincial Council candidates registered for the spring elections.
ECC officials said most of the complaints were regarding candidates not meeting the standards set out by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) for qualification in the elections. The bar set for Presidential candidates is known to be significantly higher than that set for Provincial elections. In the case of Presidential hopefuls, 100,000 voter cards were required to show widespread support and 1 million Afghani as a registration fee.
"Until now, 15 complaints have been registered for the Presidential and Provincial Council elections; eight of the complaints were investigated and they were about insufficient qualifications and fee payments," said Mr. Mohseni. "The ECC will seriously investigate all the complaints and it will maintain the integrity of its autonomy."
The ECC was charged with vetting the complaints lodged against registered candidates after the nomination period ended a week ago. Meanwhile, the IEC has been evaluating the applications of the candidates. Preliminary decisions on the eligible candidates are expected to be made and announced by October 19, then finalized by November 16.
The IEC has already announced that a Presidential candidate, out of the 27 who registered, was eliminated from the field due to failing to meet the required criteria. The Commission refused to divulge the identity of the candidate or any details about what led to the disqualification.
Officials from the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA) have expressed concern about the ECC giving deference to prominent candidates in its investigations, and has reminded the Commission how important it is for it to remain impartial.
"The ECC should seriously investigate the complaints, especially those about powerful candidates and those who have political power in order to maintain the transparency and integrity of the election," said Naeem Ayoubzada, the Director of TEFA.
The disclosure of the identities of complainants has stirred up some debate, with those who think they should be made public and those defending confidentiality. The ECC has not yet revealed who any complainants are, but has not said it will completely refrain from doing so in the future.
"Based on the ECC's judgment, if the complainants face threats to their safety, their identities will not be disclosed," said Mr. Mohseni.