Ahmad Yousaf Nuristani, the head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), said on Thursday that election officials are committed to announcing the final results of the runoff election next week.
Mr. Nuristani said there would be no further changes to the timetable, which is welcomed news after over five months of the protracted process. "We have decided to announce the final results of the election during next week, our work has been completed and there is no reason for delay, the decision is confirmed," he told TOLOnews on Thursday.
The last session of the vote invalidations is expected on Friday, and after that the candidates will have 48 hours to file complaints with the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). Once those complaints are dealt with, according to the IEC, the results will be released.
The election commission is expected to move ahead with the results announcement regardless of where the candidates stand on their still ongoing political negotiations. The two presidential hopefuls are said to remain in deadlock over the what powers are to be granted to the Chief Executive position in their national unity government.
"In case there is a crisis in the country, the responsibility will be on those who break the law and go to the streets, responsibility will be with those who lead and create the crisis," Nuristani said on Thursday. "The election commission will not be responsible in this respect."
But members of Abdullah Abdullah's camp have previously asked that the results not be released before the candidates have made an agreement. Abdullah's team remains officially cut off from the election commission, though it has engaged in negotiations with the rival camp, the Presidential Palace, the United Nations and foreign diplomats.
Meanwhile, according to the technical staff at the IEC, the database for the results is already entirely complete, and awaiting the invalidations to end.
"Work on the checklists will be completed by the end of today, the next step, which is the vote invalidation, is for the commission members, I can say that the technical work is completed," said Syed Ibrahim Sadaat, the head of the IEC's database department.
