ECC communicates fraud investigation finding to Afghan electoral body

KABUL, Oct. 19 -- The UN-led Afghan election monitoring body ECC (Election Complaints Commission) has submitted its finding over suspicious ballot boxes to the country's election body the Independent Election Commission (IEC), a statement of ECC said Monday.

"The ECC has finalized all of its decisions with respect to polling and counting for the Presidential elections and has officially communicated them to the IEC," the statement added.

It also stressed that the IEC is responsible for adjusting candidates' vote totals in accordance with the ECC's decisions before it may certify the final results.

In the statement it ordered "the IEC to invalidate 210 polling stations around the country where the ECC found clear and convincing evidence of fraud."

The ECC issued three separate decisions with respect to certification of the Presidential election results.

It also emphasized that the "IEC is responsible for implementing all of the ECC's orders before announcing the final results."

Afghanistan's second presidential election was held on August 20 but final result has yet to be announced by the election body due to widespread fraud allegation leveled by president Hamid Karzai's rival Abdullah Abdullah who secured 28 percent of more than 5.5 million votes against Karzai who bagged over 54 percent in the preliminary results.

Meantime, Karzai's opponents said the recounting of suspicious ballot boxes has brought down the incumbent's votes to below 50 percent, enabling Afghans to vote for second round, an exercise opposing by Karzai's supporters.