KABUL, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan will hold its fourth presidential election since the end of Taliban rule in 2001, on April 20 next year, an official of country's election body announced on Wednesday.
"The Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) is strongly committed to ensuring transparency and integrity of the upcoming elections. The IEC will work extensively with the relevant stakeholders for holding fair, free and general elections," Sayyed Hafizullah Hashimi, an IEC commissioner and spokesman of the entity, told reporters here.
The announcement comes as the country is preparing for the upcoming parliamentary and district councils elections to be held on Oct. 20 this year, which has been delayed for a couple of times over the past years.
The war-weary Afghans expressed concerns whether Afghan security forces will be ready to provide security for the elections as Taliban insurgents and militants of Islamic State (IS) group have intensified their attacks before the polls.
However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has assured the nation that the elections will be held on time as his tenure will expire on May 22 next year.
Over the past few months, Afghanistan has witnessed waves of terror attacks by the IS and Taliban opposing the elections.
Three parliamentary candidates lost their lives during separate attacks by the insurgents.
The voters will cast their ballots on Oct. 20 polls to elect members of the 249-seat lower house of parliament for a five-year term while they will also vote for the district councils.
