HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Hundreds of people protested in front of a polling station against a shortage of ballot papers in the capital of western Herat province on Saturday.
The protestors in Gauhar Shad Begum area of Herat City said that the election was not acceptable to them.
Sarwish, a protestor, told Pajhwok he arrived at the polling centre in the morning but was told ballot papers had finished.
He claimed many polling stations in the city ran out of ballot papers before noon and most people had to return home without casting their votes.
He lashed out at the government for appealing for months to the masses to enthusiastically partake in the historic elections.
He said now when the people had flocked to polling stations in huge numbers despite security threats, the government had failed to arrange ballot papers for them.
Another resident Sharifullah said their protest was against the deprivation of people from their right to enfranchise.
Governor Syed Fazlullah Wahidi, who visited the protestors, also criticised the authorities for failing to provide enough ballot papers to polling stations.
“I know that polling stations in Herat have run out of ballot papers, which speaks of the provincial IEC office’s hypocrisy,” remarked the governor.
Officials at the provincial IEC office were reluctant to face media representative regarding the issue of ballot papers shortages.
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