Kabul, August 23: Around 225 allegations of irregularities in Afghanistan’s elections have been lodged with a complaints investigator, some of which could affect the results, the body said today.
The charges include tampering with ballot boxes for Thursday’s presidential and provincial council elections, as well as intimidation of voters, Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) chairman Grant Kippen told reporters.
Others related to violence, failures of supposedly indelible ink meant to prevent people from voting twice and interference in polling, he said.
“As of close of business yesterday the ECC had received approximately 225 complaints. And these are complaints on and since election day,” Kippen said.
Some contained multiple allegations, he said, adding that more complaints could be received by the ECC, which is an independent Afghan organisation.
“Thirty five have been assigned a high priority and these are ones that we had to deem to be material to the outcome of the election results,” he said.
Preliminary results from the presidential vote, only the second in the history of Afghanistan, are expected in coming days but will be subject to ECC investigations.
Incumbent Hamid Karzai and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah both claim to be ahead in vote count.
–Agencies