Media must remain impartial during the election process and provide equal opportunity to the candidates during debates, the Independent Election Commission (IEC)'s Media Commission said on Wednesday.
The IEC representatives warned that if the Presidential candidates and media violate their rules, they would face legal action and be referred to the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) for possible disqualification from the elections.
"We will evaluate the complaints filed against candidates and media outlets and direct them to the ECC for action," deputy head of the IEC Media Commission Hashmatollah Radfar said.
"Some of the candidates were invited for debates, so the others should also be invited," Media Commission member Farida Nekzad said. "Media must not have a discriminatory approach; we strongly demand that the media outlets not violate the protocal."
According to the IEC, the Media Commission has and will continue to assess elections coverage on a weekly basis.
In January, Nai, a media advocacy NGO, requested that the IEC's guidelines for media be reviewed and revised.
Nai has already made recommendations to the IEC in this regard, outlining the protocol for Afghan media's coverage of the elections and asking for modifications to certain articles. However, election officials have shown no sign of abiding Nai's requests.