After more than six months, the Provincial Council election process is expected to come to an end on Saturday when officials from the Independent Election Commission (IEC) announce the results.

"Today we are reviewing the work that was done and tomorrow we will announce the result without any delay," IEC Commissioner Sarir Ahmad Barmak said on Friday.

While there was less public pressure on the election commissions to bring the provincial council elections to a close promptly than there was in the case of the presidential race, many question remain surrounding the numerous delays the provincial contest faced.

"There were technical issues and the Electoral Complaints Commission submitted final decisions that did not match our system, so later a joint commission of both the IEC and ECC solved the issues," Barmak said.

But it is doubtful the IEC and the ECC will be able to win back the public trust they lost during this year's process without first going through an overhaul of reform.

"As the electoral bodies continue to exaggerate, I have lost trust in them and am doubtful about the announcement of the final results of provincial council elections," Provincial Council candidate Nida Kaihan told TOLOnews.

Questions initially arose about the integrity of the election commissions and their potential involvement in fraud during the first round of voting this year. Those questions intensified, and turned more toward accusations, as the election process continued, and allegations of fraud derailed and prolonged the presidential contest between Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah.

"I don't trust the statements of the electoral bodies anymore, because we waited for so long," said Rahimullah Mujahid, another Provincial Council candidate.

The national unity government that emerged out of the presidential race made commitments to electoral reform, particularly within the commission, but as of yet, no significant steps have been taken.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/2760

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