Electoral Reform, Transparency, and Restoring Public Trust in Afghanistan’s Election System

Speech at the Swearing-in Ceremony of the Election Commission Members

Keypoints: 

• Electoral reform: Fix past issues via better laws and procedures
• Transparent selection: Inclusive appointment process with stakeholders
• Independence & accountability: Non-partisan, rule-bound commissioners
• Rule of law: Legal action against electoral violations
• Anti-corruption: Internal controls and quarantine mechanisms
• Public trust: Restore confidence in elections
• Election readiness: Timely, credible election delivery
• State support: Resources and security, no interference
• Constitutional continuity: Democratic transfer of power

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Respected Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, esteemed Professor Danesh, Honorable Chief Justice, Respected Mr. Hashemi, all members of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), the Heads of Secretariats for both commissions, Dr. Fazly, and colleagues from the Administrative Office of the President, Peace be upon you all, alongside the blessings and mercy of Allah!

Given the profound operational challenges encountered during the recent parliamentary elections—specifically regarding the extensive delays and mismanagement in announcing the results—it became distinctly apparent that we needed to reform not only the composition of both electoral bodies but also enact structural amendments to the Electoral Law itself.

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Professor Danesh, the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and Mr. Hashemi, who, representing Dr. Abdullah, myself, and the entire National Unity Government, conducted exhaustive, nationwide consultations with political parties, all presidential candidates, and technical experts. The direct result of your hard work is a complete political consensus regarding our new Electoral Law. At the same time, I thank Dr. Fazly, Mr. Chakhansuri, Mr. Totakhil, the Deputy Minister of Justice, and all colleagues who meticulously prepared the necessary statutory documentation.

Under the framework of this newly amended law, it was imperative to appoint new commissioners and heads of secretariats for both commissions. This selection process was based on a comprehensive list compiled collaboratively by all registered political parties and election monitoring organizations. Votes were then cast directly by all presidential candidates, yielding the collective leadership that stands before you today.

The core significance of this process is that these commissioners represent all political factions, candidates, registered parties, civil society organizations, and domestic election monitoring bodies. They carry the formal endorsement of the entire political spectrum, having been directly nominated by them. The entire nation witnessed this process, proving that the members of these commissions were chosen in an environment of absolute transparency. This effectively dismantles the historic accusations that our electoral bodies are beholden to one specific faction or another.

Enforcing Legality: Penalties, Neutrality, and Accountability

With a clear view of past institutional errors and infractions, I must formally direct the attention of our respected commissioners to several non-negotiable mandates:

• Criminal Liability: Under the newly enacted amendments, any and all electoral misconduct, fraud, or manipulation has been explicitly codified within the Penal Code of Afghanistan. All suspected infractions will be rigorously investigated by judicial organs, and perpetrators will face criminal prosecution.

• Universal Enforcement: Let there be absolute clarity: the Penal Code applies fully and without exception to the members and administrative staff of both commissions.

• The Quarantine Mechanism: To systematically eliminate administrative corruption and abuses of office, both commissions must immediately convene to establish a strict internal "quarantine" mechanism.

According to the Electoral Law, no member of these commissions has the right to maintain active status or participation within any political party. Any prior political affiliations you held are formally severed as of today. Moving forward, any political communication or alignment will be treated as a severe legal violation. A definitive quarantine mechanism must be enforced to guarantee absolute transparency and accountability to the Afghan public.

Almost all of you noted in your acceptance remarks that your primary, overarching duty is to rebuild public trust in our commissions and the integrity of the ballot box. We expect you to formulate clear, uncompromising operational principles to restore complete national confidence in a transparent electoral process.

Immediate Priorities and National Continuity

Another immediate priority is that within the next two days, the commissions must elect their respective internal leadership. Both bodies must simultaneously prepare not just for the presidential election, but also for the provincial council elections, the parliamentary elections for Ghazni province, and the district council elections. Alongside these immense responsibilities, you must immediately resolve and finalize the remaining unannounced results of the past parliamentary elections. This initial task will serve as the first critical test of your capability before the suffering nation of Afghanistan.

The most vital achievement of our contemporary history is our Constitution, which legally guarantees that through free and fair democratic elections, sovereign authority passes seamlessly from one elected government to the next.

Sisters and brothers, you have been entrusted with an exceptionally grave national responsibility. While your operational independence must be distinctly reflected in the substance of your work, historical experience demonstrates that your independence is relative and bounded strictly by the rule of law.

The government provides an absolute guarantee that it will prevent any form of administrative interference in your work. Furthermore, the heroic Security and Defense Forces of Afghanistan will proudly secure the physical layout of the elections. However, the public trust in your institutions must be absolute. Any compromise of this trust is entirely unacceptable, as the political destiny of the entire Afghan nation depends entirely on your legal and appropriate execution of duty.

The election timeline has been formally established. You will not only work tirelessly to ensure that elections occur precisely on the scheduled date, but you will also have the unyielding cooperation of all state departments. Financially, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan pledges to place all necessary resources at your disposal.

The institutional strengthening of our Islamic Republic has begun, and there is absolutely no turning back. A living, clear testament to this institutional progress is the execution of these recent structural reforms within our electoral system.

In closing, I congratulate the commissioners and the heads of secretariats of both commissions on assuming these vital responsibilities, and I pray to Almighty Allah for your absolute success.

I now respectfully invite Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to share his remarks.