The Taliban have dissolved Afghanistan’s election commission, a panel that supervised polls during the previous Western-backed administration, a spokesman for the Islamist government said on Saturday.
“There is no need for these commissions to exist and operate,” Taliban government spokesman Bilal Karimi said, referring to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission.
“If we ever feel a need, the Islamic Emirate will revive these commissions,” Karimi added.
“They have taken this decision in a hurry... and dissolving the commission would have huge consequences,” Mr. Aurangzeb, who headed the panel up until the fall of the previous regime, said.
Halim Fidai, a senior politician in the previous regime, said the decision to dissolve the electoral commission shows the Taliban “do not believe in democracy”.
Karimi said the authorities had also dissolved two government departments this week — the ministry of peace, and the ministry of parliamentary affairs.
