Kabul: IEC announces 9 new MPs to the Parliament

According to the media reports, the IECs Chief Fazl Ahmad Manawi said that following President Karzais decree and study into findings of appeals court, nine protesting candidates have been announced winners replacing nine sitting lawmakers.Mr Manawi said this is the final decision and warned if it is provoked by any organisation once more, it would be held accountable.Lawmakers that have lost their seats following the decision of IEC are representatives from Herat, Helmand, Zabul, Paktika, Faryab, Badakhshan, Samangan and Baghlan provinces.Despite pressures from different circles inside the government the decision has been taken independently and President Karzai has no role in it, Mr Manawi said.Some parliamentarians claimed two of the nine candidates announced as winners by IEC are not among the 62 protesting candidates announced as winners by elections special tribunal.President Karzai assigned the IEC to make the final decision on elections. And If they continue to invalidate the decisions, then I think it wont be beneficial to Afghanistan, people and even to the international community that supports democracy in the country, Mr Manawi said. The international community is also tired of this game.Leader of the coalition to support law, Abdul Zaher Qadir, said that the IEC has no authority to unseat lawmakers in the house. The decision is illegal and it underlined that the IEC has also given in to illegal maneuvers, Mr Qadir said.Abdul Zaher Qadir warned that the coalition to support law would not let even one single lawmaker to lose their seat. Meanwhile, the lawmakers who have been disqualified by the IEC said that no organisation has the right to reverse their legal right.The election problem first began after 62 lawmakers were disqualified by the special tribunal, formed by Karzai to investigate fraud allegations in September elections.Previously the IEC had announced that there wouldnt be any changes in vote results that it had announced.