Afghanistan postpones tough parliamentary election

KABUL (Reuters/AFP) Afghan election authorities said on Sunday they had postponed a parliamentary election due this year, removing a source of friction between President Hamid Karzai and his Western backers who wanted time for electoral reforms.
Western diplomats applauded the decision to push the election to September 18 from May 22, saying it would provide time to implement changes designed to prevent a repeat of fraud that marred Karzais own re-election as president last year.
The date also means the election would fall after the traditional summer fighting season, giving an expanding NATO-led force more time to improve security in southern areas, where Taliban fighters kept voters from last years polls.
The ballot, originally planned for May 22, will be delayed until September 18, senior election commissioner Fazil Ahmad Manawi told reporters in Kabul.
The Independent Election Commission made the decision because of a lack of budget, security and uncertainty and logistical challenges, the official said.
The commission had previously said it was short of around 120 million dollars to hold the ballot for the Wolosi Jirga, Afghanistans lower house of parliament.
But the United Nations has said it would need to see evidence of significant reform - including replacing senior IEC officials - before agreeing to release money to stage the election.
Western countries are trying to avoid a repeat of last years election fiasco, in which a UN-backed probe discarded nearly a third of votes cast for Karzai as fake.
They had been hoping a postponement would be announced before an international conference on Afghanistans future in London later this week, where the early date was set to be an irritant.
The United Nations is holding tens of millions of dollars earmarked for Afghan elections in an account, but diplomats have said they will not release the money without reforms.
An international diplomat, speaking on condition he not be identified, called it a pragmatic and sensible decision which will allow time for reform of the key electoral institutions to enable cleaner parliamentary elections.
The election commission did not comment on whether its membership would be changed.
The diplomat said the international community would not be pleased if Karzai reappoints the election commissions head, Azizullah Ludin, whose term expired on Saturday. Opponents accuse Ludin, a presidential appointee, of favouring Karzai.
Karzais administration had earlier called for the ballot to be held on time, pledging to fund the process if the international community failed to provide the budget.
His office was not immediately available for comment.
Manawi said low-ranking workers had been dismissed from the commission or moved to different jobs but added that if you mean the leadership and commissioners, this the responsibility of the president.
The president has to decide, he added.
Afghanistan held its first direct parliamentary election in September 2005. Under the constitution the next poll was due to be held no later than 30 days before the end of the legislative cycle, which ends on June 22.
Manawi did not comment on what will happen to the current parliament after this date, saying the US-backed Karzai government was responsible for the decision.