News - Election 2014
After a number of quiet days at the offices of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC), activity picked up on Saturday when five new Presidential nominees decided to show up at once to register.
Abdul Rahim Wardak, Qutbuddin Helal, Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, Said Ishaq Gilani, and Dil Agha Kohdamani were the nominees that filed for candidacy in the Presidential election scheduled for April 5 of next year.
Abdul Rahim Wardak, the former Defense Minister, registered along with his two deputies Shah Abdul Ahad Afzali, a former member of the House of Representatives as first Vice President, and Said Hussain Anwari, also a former member of House of Representatives as the second Vice President.
Mr. Wardak said that his top agenda items would be bringing peace and political stability to Afghanistan along with promoting human rights, especially women rights.
"Good governance, human rights, especially women rights, are our main priorities," he said. "We will try to end the current violence in the country."
Qutbuddin Helal, a member of Hezbe Islami led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is one of the other prominent political figures who filed on Saturday. Enayatullah Enayat and Muhammad Ali Nabizada are his first and second Vice Presidents respectively.
Mr. Helal asserted his independence from the Hezbe Islami Party, saying he would be running on his own for the upcoming elections.
"Education, meaning girls and boys going to school in an all-around peaceful Afghanistan, is the main issue we will focus on," he explained.
Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, the brother of Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, was also among the faces that converged on the IEC Saturday. Abdullah Bromand is listed as his first Vice President and Abid Nazari as the second Vice President.
"Eliminating corruption from the legal institutions especially from the judiciary will be one of our primary efforts,"Mr. Ahmadzai said.
Said Ishaq Gilani, a former member of House of Representatives, along with Zekria Noori as first Vice President and Seeman Esmati as second Vice President also registered for candidacy.
Finally, Dil Agha Kohdamani, somewhat of a unknown compared to the others that filed on Saturday, registered with Zalmai Hamraz and Torpekai Aziz as his first and second Vice Presidents respectively.
All the potential nominees listed peace and stability, rule of law and human rights as top priorities of their platforms.
The IEC is scheduled to announce the list of eligible candidates after evaluating the filings on October 19. The official campaigning period for Presidential candidates is not supposed to start until February, although it is likely the candidates will begin canvassing and publicizing themselves long before that.