Washington – The U.S. has called on the Taliban and all parties in Afghanistan to safeguard the right of citizens to exercise their right to vote without being subjected to intimidation and violence.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made this known in a statement on Wednesday.
“We call on all parties, including the Taliban, to ensure Afghan voters can go to polling centers on election day without fear of intimidation, attack, or violence.“We hold all candidates accountable to the code of conduct they signed,” Pomeo said.
Popmeo added that the U.S. strongly condemned the threats made by the Taliban against election workers and voters earlier on Wednesday.He said that any attempt to intimidate, coerce, or buy voters would be considered an attack on democracy.
“We offer our strong support to the Afghan National Security Forces, who day-in and day-out sacrifice their lives for the cause of peace and stability,” Pompeo said.
The secretary of state explained that along with other international donors, the U.S. had called repeatedly on the Afghan government and electoral institutions to make preparations for a credible and transparent presidential election.
According to Pompeo, the U.S. expects Afghanistan’s institutions to take all necessary steps to ensure that the election is perceived by the Afghan voters to be transparent and credible, Pompeo said.
(Sputnik/NAN)
