Monday September 02, 2013
Kabul (BNA) On Friday, The Afghanistan Independent Election Commission (IEC) said that existence of insecurity in at least nine districts in provinces of Ghazni, Helmand, Zabul and Nuristan still preventing the election organizing body facilitate voters commute in the election centers and register their names for casting ballots in the 2014 presidential and provincial councils’ elections.
In the meantime, the election commission announced that up to 700,000 people have registered their names so far including 200,000 women since the process instigated couple of weeks before.
Elaborating on the topic, the head of IEC secretariat Ziaullhaq Amerkhail said, “We have confronted security threats only in nine districts, we are already in touch with the security institutions of the country to overcome on the challenge within some days so that the IEC is able to inaugurate its voter registration centers in these regions”.
Meanwhile, the IEC has expressed satisfaction over the process of voter registration in rest parts of the country and commission will issue cards to all eligible voters until the election schedule.
“So far, up to 700,000 voters have received voting cards, from the overall number 200,000 constitute the women, and we hope that our sisters and brothers who are eligible to vote receive voting cards before the Election Day, IEC spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said”.
According to the constitution, the presidential and provincial council’ elections are scheduled on April 5th 2014, but apprehensions still in the rise over modality of election security.
While the IEC has already handed over the list of 7000 polling centers to the security institutions, officials say that still 259 centers were under serious security threats.
The Afghan people describe holding of the next election as the only alternative that could bring the war-ravaged country out of the ongoing crisis.
Considering vitality of the 2014 presidential elections, Afghan people urge that government of Afghanistan by seeking cooperation of international community should use all sources to prevent riggings and frauds in the elections so that legitimacy and transparency of the national process isn’t manipulated and harmed.
Talking on the matter, local resident Fawad Ahmad said that the upcoming elections should be conducted in according to the constitution and preventing laws of the country in free, fair and transparent manner and security institutions should provide foolproof security to the voters to cast ballots in a peaceful environment.
In the meantime, the IEC hesitates over low women turnout in the voter registration process and asks the civil society institutions, women rights advocates and political coalitions to contribute in persuading the women to receive voting cards and participate in the upcoming elections in majority.
In the light of current circumstances, the election as a democratic process retains major significance on future stability of Afghanistan and the election provide clarity to social, economic and humanitarian rights of the war-suffered Afghan nation.
Peaceful transition of political power and larger public participation in the election enable us to protect our territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
