The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) reported that some 10-11 thousand names had been placed on a blacklist based on suspected involvement in improprieties in previous elections, and would not be allowed to work in any capacity related to the April vote.
Although fraud and voter intimidation have been noted in all Afghan elections since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, they were perhaps most well-documented and widespread during the 2009 Presidential elections. That experience left a bad taste in many mouths, and officials this time around have dedicated immense time and resources to preventing anything similar from happening.
"Those individuals who had dealings with powerful individuals in the past, numbering from 10 to 11 thousand individuals, have had their names added to the black list now," ECC Commissioner Sareer Ahmad said.
The credibility of the April Presidential and Provincial Council elections is considered all the more important as the country is left to its own devices with the NATO coalition pulling out at the end of next year.
The ECC has assured that if any complaints about the involvement of election employees in electoral improprieties surface, those employees would be dealt with legally.
So far, the ECC officials notes, there have been no rulings by the court against those accused of involvement in electoral malfeasance.
"If there are complaints against our employees and it proves to be true that they are acting biased, and they have transgressed the transparency and fairness of the elections, then the ECC will deal with them in accordance with the law," ECC Secretariat head Nader Mohseni said.
The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) received over 2,000 complaints from the 34 provinces in the last Parliament Elections in 2010. Most of the complaints were regarding the involvement of a number of election employees and local officials.