Registered voters exceed 300,000: IEC

KABUL) on Wednesday said more than 300,000 people have so far been registered for the April 5 presidential and provincial elections.

First phase of the campaign was launched on May 26 at provincial capital level and the second round at district and village level started on July 27.

About three weeks ago, the IEC said Up to 120,000 individuals, including 30,000 women, have been issued voter cards. The panel says the number has risen to more than 300,000.

IEC spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor told Pajhwok Afghan News those registered included 70,000 women and 3,000 Kochi tribesmen, saying the process was going well.

However, residents in some provinces complain the registration process has been slow. Mohammad Ismail Zaki, coordinator at the Civil Societies and Human Rights Network in central Bamyan province, said people in remote areas showed little interest in the registration process because registration centres had been established far away from their homes.

“There are two reasons why Bamyan residents take less interest in the registration process. The first reason is the long distances and the second is the time of the elections because in April snowfall begins in Bamyan,” Zaki said.

He suggested the IEC should send a team to rugged mountainous areas to register people there.

“People in remote parts would not abandon their daily activities to travel hundreds kilometers to reach the district centers and get voter cards”, he said.

But the IEC said more registration centers were being opened and eligible persons could get cards 72 hours ahead of the polling day.

mds/ma

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