Secretary-General Welcomes Election Structure Law in Afghanistan

 

As ‘Key Step’ in Lead-Up to 2014 Polls

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the presidential endorsement and enactment of the law regulating the structure and responsibilities of Afghanistan's electoral management bodies.

The law is a key step towards establishing a robust electoral architecture for Afghanistan’s presidential and provincial council elections due to take place on 5 April 2014.

The Secretary-General looks forward to the speedy implementation of the law to facilitatetransparent, credible and inclusive elections.  He also welcomes the National Assembly’s approval this week of the Electoral Law, which defines the legal framework of Afghanistan's electoral processes.  He expresses the hope that the President will also consider this law at the earliest opportunity.  This will be another key step in creating the electoral framework for next year’s polls.

Afghan-led and Afghan-managed 2014 presidential and provincial council elections are central to Afghanistan's stable and sustainable political transition.  The Secretary-General calls onall concerned to engage constructively in efforts to ensure that the elections are held according to the Afghan Constitution and the Independent Election Commission's timeline.

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For information media • not an official record