Election results create sense of dissatisfaction among people

KABUL): Residents of central Kabul and other provinces unhappy over tension created after final results of parliamentary elections in the country and said it would have a negative impact over people’s participation in future elections.

Meanwhile some of unsuccessful candidates and Attorney General Office were also not satisfied with the results andSpecial Courtdecided to announce final decision soon.

“Most of the people had cast their votes with hope and obsession but unfortunately several individuals and institutions are blaming each others for irregularities, fraud and misuse of power,” Hamayun Azimi, resident ofHerattold Pajhwok Afghan News. Those things would manipulate the elections negatively in future, he said.

The number of voters would decrease in upcoming election as compare to recent one, Azimi said.

 Shams-ud-Din fromBalkhprovince said like other areas, the election process had same results innorthern provinceswith cases of both fraud and transparency.

The frauds were made in areas with control of the influential personalities while fair election took place in rest of the areas, he said without naming any of those areas or personalities.

He demanded of the government and authorities concerned, not to repeat the mistakes done in next coming elections.  

Zarmina, a local from provincial capital Gardez city ofPaktiaprovince termed the elections a fraudulent one and said she witnessed several voters in Ahmad Abad district of the province who cast their votes more than one time.

“I saw some men casting votes for women too,” she said, adding government was wholly responsible for all those frauds as it failed to make good arrangements to prevent malpractices.

People would not participate in any future election if mistakes of recent elections were not specified and dealt with properly, she said.

Din Muhammad resident of Mirwais Maidan area of central capitalKabulcity said he was not satisfied with elections process as even a child could predict the elections would not have a good result.

“Candidates have money and backed by high ranking government officials will be able make space in the parliament,” Din Muhammad said and added although a huge number of population participated in the first round of presidential election but that number decreased in second round of parliamentary elections.

Haji Wakeel Ahmad Kharoti, resident of Qara Bagh district of Ghazni province said the elections in the province were totally rigged and no one was happy of it.

“I have no personal objection over those elected as Members of Parliament (MPs) from the province but in fact only their villagers voted for those MPs while people from other areas did not and thus results of the elections were not acceptable to anyone in the province,” Kharoti said.

Jandad Speenghar, chief executive of The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan), insecurity, public unawareness and rigging.

“Election process has more defects as compare to last one,” he said and added interference from judicial organs in the process was also unexpected.

Besides the criminal cases if they were any interference, it would damage the credibility of the process and people would not trust it, he said.

According to a survey made conducted by Pajhwok Afghan News, voters’ participation in 2010 was reduced by 50 percent (from eight million to four million) as compare to election in 2004.

In the presidential election of 2004, the number of voters was 8.5 million while in parliamentary elections of 2005 it decreased to six million, in the presidential election of 2009 cut down to five million and in second round of parliamentary elections 2010 it dropped to 4.5 million, the statistics reveled.

 

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