The chairman and deputy chairman of the Afghan electoral commission have tendered their resignations.

A spokesperson for President Hamid Karzai said Azizullah Ludin and Daoud Najafi resigned of their own free will. It's been reported that they also tendered their resignations before, but their requests were then rejected by the president.

After the August 2009 presidential elections the Afghan electoral commission came in for fierce criticism both from inside Afghanistan and from abroad. The elections ultimately ended with President Karzai staying in office, but his opponents say the poll was marred by widespread fraud.

Most of the members of the electoral commission are said to supporters of the president. Afghanistan is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in September this year.