More than 4 million people cast their ballots elsewhere in the country last weekend despite a spate of violence and logistical issues, according to Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC).
This election, the first parliamentary poll in eight years, comes after three years of delays due to security issues and political infighting over electoral reform measures.
Voting in Kandahar was pushed back by a week following the killing of police chief Gen. Abdul Raziq Achakzai in a Taliban-claimed attack on October 18, two days before the election. The top US general in Afghanistan survived the shooting attack; two Americans were injured.
Security has been stepped up for the rescheduled vote, with some 6,000 security force members deployed to Kandahar, the Afghan Interior Ministry said.
More than half a million people have registered to vote across the province, according to the IEC's media relation office, and 173 polling stations were expected to open. Women make up roughly one in eight of the registered voters.
They will cast their ballots for 112 candidates, of whom 12% are women, who are standing for Kandahar's 11 parliamentary seats, the IEC said. Three of those seats are reserved for women.
These legislative elections are the first in Afghanistan to make use of biometric devices at voting centers. The 2014 presidential election was plagued by accusations of widespread fraud and dragged on for several months.
The eastern province of Ghazni has also seen its polls delayed due to security and logistical issues. No time frame has been announced for the rescheduling of the ballot in Ghazni.
More than 2,500 candidates nationwide are running for 250 seats in the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the Afghan parliament, including more than 400 women.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Kandahar goes to the polls in Afghan parliamentary vote delayed by violence"
Post a Comment