»Holding elections is a public obligation«

Speaking at a seminar entitled “elections in Islamic jurisprudence and law” in Kabul, the Director General of the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies, Kabul, Dr. Abdul Baqi Amin said that holding elections is a principle of Islamic political and added that the legitimacy of a regime will be questioned if it is established through unlawful means and non-transparent elections .

This one-day academic seminar was organized by the “Jurisprudence and Law” center of the Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan on August 8, 2016 in Kabul and a number of Afghan scholars participated in it.

In its message, recited by the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences Mrs. Soraia Popal, the Afghan Presidential palace stressed on holding transparent elections. “Elections provide opportunity to the public to elect their governments and take part in deciding the fate of their societies. Elections are the most fair and assured means of power transfer”, said the statement.

Speaking at the seminar, the Director General of the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies Dr. Abdul Baqi Amin referred to elections as a principle of an Islamic society and said that, “holding elections is not only the right of individuals in a society but it’s their obligation to vote”.

A member of the CSRS Academic Council Dr. Fazel Hadi Wazin presented his paper on “legitimacy of elections in Islamic jurisprudence” and spoke about the elections and electoral system in Islam.

Mr. Wazin referred to people’s participation in the elections as an obligation and said that, ”all Muslims must take part in the process of electing their leader”.

Another member of the CSRS Academic Council Sayed Habeeb Shakir, the director of the Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan Soraia Popal, members of the academy, the spokesman of the Afghan High Peace Council and a member of Wolesi Jirga Shahzada Shahed, the head of the Academic forum of Afghan Scholars Mawlawi Abdul Sabur Haqani and some others delivered their speeches and presented their Academic papers in the seminar. At the end of the seminar the participants debated about the elections and praised such seminars as effective means to reform the electoral system and to enhance public awareness regarding elections.

The end