“Besides security problems, there was considerable fraud in the elections,” said Jandad Spinghar, head of FEFA. “This is a fact and no one can ignore it.

FEFA and other observer bodies have evidence showing that candidates and their agents perpetrated fraud during polls. We have shared this evidence with the relevant bodies (the IEC and the ECC) and if they do not adjudicate the complaints properly, no one will accept the final results.”

But, he added, it was still too early to comment on the success or failure of the elections.

”We hope that the real votes will be separated from the fraudulent ones and the perpetrators will be brought to the justice,” he added. “People did not lose courage and they voted despite many threats and security problems. The evidence FEFA has collected shows that candidates, their agents, and even personnel from the IEC perpetrated fraud.”

The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) says that it has adopted strict measures to adjudicate complaints; but it may not be enough, according to some observers.

“The IEC has already acknowledged that there were shortcomings in the election process, but not at a level that would bring the legitimacy of the process into question,” said Tabesh Frogh, deputy spokesperson of the IEC. “The IEC has introduced candidates accused of fraud to the ECC, which will investigate their cases.”

He accepted the involvement of IEC staff in fraud but said that the recounts of hundreds of thousands of ballot papers and the annulment of ballots from more than 400 polling centers, as well as arrest of the head of the IEC’s sub-office in Khost are clear examples of the IEC’s commitment to assuring the transparency of the election process.

“Something new may happen during the investigation process which could change the results of the elections,” he said. “Some candidates who have not been included in the preliminary list of winners may be added, while others who have been identified as winners may be dropped.”

According to Frogh, there is no correlation of turnout to legitimacy. “We printed 11 million ballot papers and organized our logistics very well,” he said. “But due to insecurity and some other problems, the turnout was not at the level we had anticipated.”

The IEC insisted that the problems during the election process were not at a level that could destroy the process or bring its basic soundness into question.

But those candidates who did lost the elections blame the IEC for playing with the people’s destiny.

“I do not accept the elections,” said Mohammad Anwar Sultani, a losing candidate from Nangarhar province. “Those who had power and money succeeded,” he said.

A candidate from Kandahar who did not want to be named said that people’s votes were ignored and those who had power and money were able to win.

While analysts continue to raise doubts over the results of the elections, General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said that despite security challenges, the participation of the people in the elections sent a strong message that good governance was being established in Afghanistan.

Ordinary people have their own opinions about the September 18 Parliamentary elections.

Khalid, 23, a resident of Kabul city, thinks that the level of fraud was very high in the Parliamentary elections, even compared to last year’s residential poll.

But Shahabuddin, 40, who came to Kabul from Helmand, thinks differently.

“These elections were much more transparent than last year’s,” he insisted.

Farhad, 35, who lives in the Shah Shahid district of Kabul, is on the fence.

 “The elections were transparent in the capital, but might be fraudulent in the provinces,” he said

The IEC had originally planned to release the preliminary results on October 8; but due to numerous complaints, they had to postpone the announcement for 10 days. Te final results will be announced once the complaints have been adjudicated.