“There are many stories circulating in the community. People are passing judgement based on their suspicions. But so far nobody has presented hard evidence to prove that fraud has been committed,” said

 Sheikh-Alibaks in an interview. The OKB Chairman explained that these baseless statements trigger unnecessary unrest. “It triggers fear in people. It gives them cause for concern which is not necessary. We must not say things for no reason. If something is wrong, the evidence must be presented.” Although the OKB is not tasked with organizing the elections,it does in fact have the legal authority to intervene when irregularities occur. The Ministry of Home Affairs (BIZA) and the Central Main Polling Bureau are tasked with organizing the elections.

“We are not a paper tiger. If we spot things that are going in the wrong direction, we intervene immediately. We did that when we realized that mistakes were made by couriers who had to deliver the voter registration cards. Those mistakes were corrected immediately,” said  Sheikh-Alibaks. The OKB also took action several times when irregularities occurred during the appointment of candidates. “Whenever possible we take preventative action to prevent mistakes from being made. And if mistakes are still made, we correct them immediately,” said Sheikh-Alibaks who added that the  OKB will keep a close eye on the election process. “We observe, report and intervene whenever necessary. We play a crucial role as we protect the integrity of the process. But we can only take action if the facts are on the table and not based on rumors or suspicions.”