Voter registration in Herat gains momentum

HERAT CITY (PAN) official said on Sunday.

Ahmad Tariq Arian, the IEC official, told Pajhwok Afghan News the cards had been distributed in the provincial capital and 15 districts of the province.

The process was going ahead across the province without any hindrance, he said, explaining 16,500 voters had been issued with cards in Herat City and 16,000 in the districts.

Around 25 percent of the card recipients are women, according to Arian, who said they planned to issue a total of 80,000 cards across the province.

Considering people’s demand, the IEC provincial office may seek more cards from the centre. Mobile registration centres could also be opened, the official suggested. 

Asmatullah, a young man from Herat City who has just reached 18 years of age, stood in a queue in front of a registration centre.

He said: “I’m pleased receiving the voter card. Aware of the importance of the voting right, I will cast my ballot for someone who is religious and committed to protecting the national interest.”

Another youth, Sultan Ali, said he had lost his previous card and wanted to get a new one. He would vote for a candidate who was ready for selfless service to the nation. 

Many individuals did not have national identity cards, he said, believing that more registration centres be set up to let people get voter cards without any problem.

A woman at a female registration centre said she was determined to vote under all circumstances for a poll contestant of her choice. She urged all women to defy social taboos and follow in her footsteps.

Arian denied that Herat was among the provinces where fake voter cards had been distributed. He rejected a recent Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) report that the card recipients included nonage boys.

Police spokesman Col. Abdul Rauf Ahmadi promised security organs would forge better coordination in ensuring successful completion of the electoral process in Herat.

The assurance came a day after nine workers of a road construction firm were killed by insurgents in the Karkh district, 45 kilometres eastern of Herat City.

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