MaximsNewsNetwork: AFGHANISTAN ELECTIONS UN RESPONSE UNAMA

MaximsNewsNetwork: 07 October 2009 - UNTV: Director of the Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political Affairs Craig Jenness says that anyone claiming that allegations of fraud in the Afghan presidential elections are being ignored by the UN, is "either not watching" or "has other motives".

Senior UN officials today (7 October) fielded questions from reporters about the uproar over recent statements from Special Representative to Afghanistan Kai Eides former Deputy Peter W. Galbraith, who was fired last week.

Galbraith had alleged that Eide discouraged his staff from publicly disclosing allegations of fraud in favor of incumbent President Hamid Karzai, and that evidence of irregularities had not been shared with the Elections Complaints Commission (ECC).

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet told reporters that Galbraith had made a series of proposals, including to annul the elections and to set up a transitional government in Kabul, as well as all sorts of assertions that are not true and that are completely out of bounds with what our mandate is in UNAMA regarding these elections.

The Director of the Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political Affairs, Craig Jenness said that Galbraith and others are saying fraud happened and no one is doing anything about it, but maintained that Galbraith on numerous occasions said that the ECC, which is handling fraud allegations, was a credible body.

Jenness added that anyone who says that fraud is being ignored is either not watching whats going on in Kabul, or has other motives.

Mulet accused Galbraith of having his own personal agenda and trying to use this situation for his personal objectives.

In his latest report to the Security Council, Eide acknowledged that there had been fraud and irregularities but pointed out that Afghanistan is a country in conflict. Violence and intimidation were the main reasons voters had stayed away from the polling stations.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Kai Eide
• Craig Jenness
• UN
• United Nations
• electoral assistance
• Peter W. Galbraith
• MaximsNews Network
• Hamid Karzai
• ECC
• Edmond Mulet