KABUL – Afghanistan Presidential elections are likely to be delayed asmajority of candidates have termed the preparations insatisfactory andsecurity conditions not ripe for the elections.

A group of presidential candidates on Tuesday said the Afghan governmentand the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are not ready for holding theupcoming presidential election scheduled for 28 September, citinginsecurity as the main hurdle for the process.

They called on the National Unity Government leaders and the country’spolitical elites to make a unified decision in this respect.

Presidential candidate Shaida Mohammad Abdali said the peace talks andinsecurity have affected the preparations for the presidential polls.

“Only a few days have remained for election. It was expected that theelection will be held after peace, but today we see that there is no fullpreparation for the elections to be held within the next two weeks,” Mr.Abdali said. “There is a need for a ‘national meeting’ which includegovernment [leaders] and politicians outside the government to assess thecurrent situation in collaboration with the international community.”

Seventeen candidates, including President Ashraf Ghani and Chief ExecutiveAbdullah Abdullah, are running for president in the Afghan elections.