No voting at 16 Kunduz polling centres

KUNDUZ CITY (Pajhwok): Votes could not be cast at 16 of 218 polling centres in the landmark presidential and provincial council elections in northern Kunduz province on Saturday, an official said.

Independent Election Commission official Amir Hamza Ahmadzai said the 16 polling stations, which remained closed, were in Dasht-i-Archi, Chahar Dara and Khanabad districts and Kunduz City.

However, he said a number of polling centres previously declared under high security threat had been secured and people voted there without facing any problem.

Meanwhile, the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA)’s local office head in Kunduz, Zahir Musleh, said so far they had received no complaint about electoral fraud or law violation in the province.

He said they had deployed hundreds of male and female observes to monitor the electoral process.

A majority of people in Kunduz turned out to vote as the process began early in the morning, despite rainy weather.

One of the so many women, Anisa, a resident of the sixth police district of Kunduz City, said: “My family members had been waiting for this day and finally our dream comes true today.”

The 55-year-old, who cast her vote along with five family members at the Bibi Amana high school, praised security forces for the tight measures, which she said encouraged families to participate in the elections.  

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