Hashemi Appointed As New IEC Commissioner

KABUL (TOLONews): The National Unity Government leaders appointed Hafizullah Hashemi, former secretary general of Meshrano Jirga, the Upper House of Parliament, as the new commissioner of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Presidential Palace said in a statement on Saturday.

President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Attorney General Mohammad Farid Hamidi and Second Vice President Mohamad Sarwar Danish interviewed the three shortlisted candidates for the vacant IEC post, the statement said.

“Following the assessments of the documents of the three qualified candidates who were shortlisted by Election Commissions SelectionCommittee, Sayed Hafizullah Hashemi was appointed as commissioner of Intendent Election Commission,” Presidential Palace said in the statement.

The selection committee last week shortlisted three candidates – Sayed Hafizullah Hashemi, Awal Rahman Rodwal and Abdul Qader Zazai Watandost – from amongst 57 candidates for the post.

“It will at least provide an opportunity that the commission resumes its work practically,” said Haroon Nusrat, member of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan.

“In most of the world’s countries, the commissioners of election commissions are selected by retired members of the Supreme Court to avoid political interference in the process,” MP Abdul Rauf Enami said.

This comes after Independent Election Commission is preparing for the upcoming parliamentary and district councils’ elections scheduled within the next few months.