Members of the Young Activists for Reform and Change (YARC) – an association of 35 youth-based organizations and civil society groups – on Tuesday urged the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to deny candidacy to those who registered for the Presidential elections that have shown incompetence in their previous government positions or relied on dishonest methods to qualify their nominations.
The youth association's comments come just two days after the official IEC candidate registration process ended after 22 days. The Commission saw 27 Presidential tickets register for the spring elections, and has now tasked the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) with vetting the nominations to decide who is eligible to run.
YARC claimed that some candidates who have registered did not previously show adequate ability in the management of government ministries, and consequently should not be allowed to contest elections for the nation's top executive office.
"The entry of those who weren't able to spend more than 9 percent of their development budgets should be prevented" said Nadia Nadeem, a member of Young Activist Network, referring to unnamed former ministers now registered for the Presidential election.
However, YARC representatives were most concerned with potential misconduct in the acquisition of the voting cards Presidential hopefuls were required to get in order to qualify for nomination. This year, unlike past years, the IEC mandated that candidates collect 100,000 voting cards and signatures from supporters from a variety of provinces across the country.
The new standard was, in part, intended to limit the pool of candidates so that there would be fewer than past years, and only those who had a serious chance at winning. However, with nearly 30 tickets registered, it would appear the requirement did not prove much of an obstacle.
The high number of candidates despite the raised standards set by the IEC is likely what provoked the YARC to cry fraud.
"Voting cards are sold in large scale to the presidential candidates, and the election commission should prevent it. Voting cards should be assessed thoroughly because cards that some candidates have submitted to the IEC aren't genuine – finger prints are fake," said Masiam Ehsani, spokesman of the youth association, referring to the potential of fake voter cards being used for registration by candidates unable to meet the 100,000 threshold.
The IEC responded to claims of registration fraud, clarifying its policies regarding the submission of voter cards and assuring that it would prevent any violations.
"The question of some people selling their voting cards doesn't pertain to the election commission, only to the [card] holders; it is up to them how they use their card and who they vote for," said Abdurraham Hotaki, the number two at the IEC. "But we will assess the fingerprints accurately to prevent fraud, and if any of the candidates are found to have been involved in such activities their nominations will be rejected."
The IEC deputy also assured that thorough background checks would be done on the candidates. Any criminal records or pending criminal cases would automatically disqualify an individual from running in the elections.
YARC members also took the opportunity to criticize the government for failing to provide security to IEC employees. The association said that the IEC employees are not treated properly and the government is not doing anything about it.
In September, there were a number of attacks on IEC employees, including the assassination of Kunduz IEC provincial chief, Amanullah Aman.
With security and legitimacy the top concerns of Afghans and the international community in the lead up to the April elections, the comments from the youth association members come as little surprise.
For now, however, judgment on the legitimacy of registration from candidates lies in the hands of the ECC, which is expected to submit a list of eligible candidates to the IEC for announcement on October 19.