Azizullah Lodin

Azizullah Lodin was an Afghan politician who served as the head of the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan from 2007 to 2014. He was born in 1939 in Herat, Afghanistan. He graduated from Kabul University in 1979 with a degree in law and political science. He worked for the justice ministry from 1985 to 2003, and then became the deputy minister of justice for legal affairs from 2003 to 2007. He was appointed as the head of the Independent Election Commission by President Hamid Karzai in 2007, and oversaw the 2009 and 2014 presidential elections, which were marred by allegations of fraud and irregularities. He was criticized by some candidates and observers for being biased and incompetent, while others praised him for being honest and courageous. He resigned from his post in 2014, and moved to the United States for medical treatment. He died on January 4, 2015, at the age of 76.