Ahmad Yousef Nuristani, chairman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), said on Monday the results of this year’s runoff election would be announced soon and regardless of whether or not the candidates have reached an end to their negotiations.
“We hope that the two candidates will reach a final political agreement soon,” Nuristani said at a press conference on Monday. “But if the candidates don't reach an agreement, the IEC will announce the election outcome; people are waiting to see the outcome of their votes.”
The two presidential candidates have been locked into negotiations that have failed to successfully conclude after over a month since they initially agreed to work together on forming a national unity government at the behest of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. All that time, the vote auditing process has been moving forward under the watchful eye of the United Nations and international observers.
On Monday, the IEC was in the seventh round of its vote invalidation process, and cast out results from 94 polling stations out of 2,300 sites.
“Votes from 94 polling sites have been invalidated out of 2,300 sites and another 224 sites have been dispatched for recounting,” Nuristani said.
Disagreement between the two presidential candidates seems to remain entrenched over the issue of the Chief Executive position and the powers that will be ascribed to the role.
This year’s election process has dragged on for over five months now. The Afghan public has begun to grow restless and many have demanded an end to the stalemate, hoping to put a halt to the political and economic instability that has emerged amidst the election crisis.