Afghan election watchdog strips 19 of poll wins

A top Afghan election watchdog official on Friday denounced political pressure from government and legal circles aimed at preventing candidates being disqualified after September's parliamentary vote.Afghanistan's top prosecutor summoned Election Complaints Commission (ECC) commissioner and spokesman Ahmad Zia Rafat, another ECC official and two top officials from the Independent Election Commission (IEC).But Rafat vowed not to "bow down to any kind of pressure by anyone".

Afghanistan's electoral watchdog said on Tuesday that it has received over 3,000 complaints about irregularities in the run-up to Saturday's parliamentary election and on polling day itself.The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) said 1,388 complaints had been received specifically about election day irregularities -- which could affect the results -- ahead of a 4 pm (1130 GMT deadline) deadline for submissions.ECC commissioner and spokesman Ahmad Zia Rafaat told AFP that on top of those complaints, another 1,700 had been lodged relating to problems ahead of the vote.

Afghanistan's election commission said Wednesday that another three election winners had been disqualified, taking to 24 the total number of candidates stripped of initial victory due to irregularities."There are... 24 winning candidates that have been disqualified in total," Fazil Ahmad Manawi, the election chief said while announcing the final results for the September 18 elections.The candidates were stripped of victory over fraud and irregularities. At least three were disqualified because they had failed to resign from jobs in government.

Afghanistan's electoral watchdog said on Tuesday it has received over 3,000 complaints about irregularities in the run-up to Saturday's parliamentary election and on polling day itself.The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) said 1,388 complaints had been received specifically about election day irregularities -- which could impact the results -- ahead of a 4 pm (1130 GMT deadline) deadline for submissions.

Concerns were growing on Monday about intimidation and fraud in Afghanistan's parliamentary election as allegations of voting irregularities filtered in from outlying parts of the war-torn country.Millions of Afghans voted Saturday in their second parliamentary poll since the 2001 US-led invasion overthrew the Taliban regime, against a backdrop of insurgent threats and attacks.

The backlash is growing against a Republican-backed plan to change the way key battleground states allocate electoral votes. 

Mark Landler and Helene Cooper write about allegations of vote fraud in Afghanistan:

A funding shortage and unrest in war-torn Afghanistan have forced authorities to postpone parliamentary polls due in May for four months, an election commission official said Sunday.The ballot was originally planned for May 22, as required by the Afghan constitution, but will be postponed until September 18, Fazil Ahmad Manawi, a senior commissioner told reporters in Kabul.The Independent Election Commission made the decision because of "lack of budget, security and uncertainty and logistical challenges," the official said.