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UN Security Council calls for free, fair vote in Afghanistan

Other News Materials 15 July 2009 23:32 (UTC +04:00)

The UN Security Council on Wednesday called for the upcoming presidential and provincial elections in Afghanistan to be "free, fair, transparent, credible, secure and inclusive", Xinhua reported
   Unanimously adopting a presidential statement, the 15-member body urged the Afghan people to "exercise their vote in this historic opportunity for all Afghans to make their voices heard."
   The Council also called on all concerned parties to adhere to relevant electoral laws and regulations to ensure "a credible electoral process."
   It urged Afghan authorities, with the support of the international community, to create necessary conditions for the elections.
   Stressing the importance of "a secure environment for conducting elections," the Council condemned "those who resort to violence to obstruct the electoral process," and urged the international military force stationed in the Central Asian country to ensure security.
   Afghanistan's second presidential election, with 41 candidates including incumbent Hamid Karzai on the race, and elections of Provincial Councils in the post-Taliban nation would be held on Aug. 20 this year amid tight security.
   The Afghanistan Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Tuesday announced that the presidential candidates can launch election campaign which would last from June 16 to Aug. 17.

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