Top Afghan vote official denounces political pressure

Nov 26, 2010 |

Kabul

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A top Afghan election watchdog official on Friday denounced political pressure from government and legal circles aimed at preventing candidates being disqualified after September's Parliamentary vote.

Afghanistan's top prosecutor summoned Election Complaints Commission (ECC) commissioner and spokesman Ahmad Zia Rafat, another ECC official and two top officials from the Independent Election Commission (IEC).

But Mr Rafat vowed not to "bow down to any kind of pressure by anyone".

"I believe that these strongmen and some pressure groups within the government are using the attorney general's office to put pressure on us. the attorney general's office is attempting political revenge," Mr Rafat told AFP.

"We stood firm on our promise to people. we disqualified all those candidates who had committed fraud. We never gave in to any pressure by anyone."

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