After the recent formation announcements of two alliances – the Afghanistan Electoral Alliance (AEA) and the Association of National Amity of Afghanistan (ANAA) – a new group under the name of Afghanistan Eastern People Alliance (AEPA) announced its intention to contest the upcoming Presidential election.

A number of MPs, Senators and tribal elders from the eastern provinces of Afghanistan were said to make up to core membership of the alliance. However, the members were not identified by Mirwais Yasini, the group's spokesman, who made the announcement on Sunday.

Mr. Yasini said that the AEPA would soon begin the process of choosing a Presidential candidate to nominate, and would look to unite and serve the interests of all Afghans. It was not explained how the group's self-proclaimed orientation toward the eastern region of Afghanistan would play into its candidate selection and policy platform.

Mr. Yasini said that after selecting its administrative members, the alliance would begin assessing the profiles of the eligible candidates for the upcoming election in order to file a nomination within the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) designated window opening on September 16 and closing on October 6.

"The AEPA representatives in the Lower House and Senate will start their work to choose a candidate," Mr. Yasini said. "We will select a candidate who will work for the benefit of the whole country."

Over the past few days, several alliances have been formed by various political parties and well-known political figures. Similar to the other coalitions, the AEPA said it would focus on security, economic development and social reforms.

As the spring Presidential and Provincial Councils' elections draws near, more announcements are expected from political parties and leaders about alliances being formed and candidates chosen.