Afghan government fires election commission ahead of presidential vote in July

The Afghan government on Tuesday fired its election commission ahead of July's controversial presidential vote, reports said.

The move comes more than three months after chaotic parliamentary elections the results of which have still not been announced. 

A terse four-sentence statement said both the Independent Election Commission and its complaints commission have been fired. 

The statement did not offer reasons but President Ashraf Ghani's administration gave political parties and civil society representatives one week to nominate candidates to a new commission.

Last October's Parliamentary polls, which were held three years late, were marred by widespread chaos. 

Polling stations opened hours late and some did not open at all. Workers trained in the use of a biometric identification system, aimed at curbing fraud, did not show up.