The Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has urged the electoral authorities to safeguard the integrity and transparency of the parliamentary elections, especially concerning vote counting, as well as the tabulation and announcement of results.

In a statement on Sunday, UNAMA said that it encourages the electoral authorities to act expeditiously in announcing the electoral timetable for presidential elections, scheduled to take place 20 April 2019.

“In view of the challenging security environment in which the elections took place, the UN commends the many Afghans for their participation and recognizes the expectations citizens now have that the electoral authorities will ensure that their votes are counted and that any fraudulent ballots will be weeded out,” UN said.

The Mission acknowledges the extensive preparations and efforts of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces with regard to the elections, the statement said.   

Given the issues and shortcomings in electoral management that arose at polling stations, UNAMA said that it looks forward to the electoral authorities clearly communicating how these are being addressed while ensuring the maximum level of independent scrutiny by observer entities.

“All Afghan authorities and actors – including political parties, the government, candidates and security institutions –should oppose threats or disruption to the electoral process,” the UN statement said. “Any citizen suspecting or witnessing fraud or irregularities should channel complaints through the relevant Afghan authorities, especially the Electoral Complaints Commission.”

The parliamentary elections have been held in 33 provinces of the country except for Ghazni province. “A decision is pending by electoral authorities on when circumstances will permit voting to take place in the remaining province of Ghazni,” the statement noted.  

According to the statement, the UN underscores its continued support for the people of Afghanistan and the country’s electoral authorities in their efforts to develop sustainable democratic institutions