Ban welcomes Afghan President's approval of key election law

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the presidential endorsement of a law to regulate the structure and responsibilities of Afghanistan's electoral management bodies, calling it a “key step” to towards the country's presidential and provincial council elections next year.

“The Secretary-General looks forward to the speedy implementation of the law to facilitate transparent, credible and inclusive elections,” said Mr. Ban's spokesperson in a statement.

Mr. Ban also welcomed the National Assembly's approval of the law earlier this week and expressed hope that President Hâmid Karzai will also consider this law at the earliest opportunity.

“This will be another key step in creating the electoral framework for next year's polls,” his spokesperson said.

Afghan-led and Afghan-managed presidential and provincial council elections – which are slated for 5 April 2014 – are central to Afghanistan's stable and sustainable political transition, the statement said, adding that Mr. Ban appealed to all concerned to “engage constructively in efforts to ensure that the elections are held according to the Afghan Constitution and the Independent Election Commission's timeline.”