KANDAHAR (SW) – Not a single voter is registered for the forthcoming Wolesi Jirga (lower house) elections in two districts of Kandahar province.
Residents in the Maruf and Nesh districts of the province informed Salam Watandar the Independent Election Commission (IEC) teams have not visited these parts of the province hence no one has registered for the forthcoming polls. A protest demonstration was held in Kandahar city by residents of these two districts.
Two such residents, Sharifullah and Mohammadullah, said people in these districts are eager to take part in the forthcoming polls, and the IEC must take effective measures to ensure their right to vote is granted. They also urged the Taliban rebels not to create impediments.
However, Haroon Kaliwaal, deputy chief of IEC in Kandahar, asserted that the registration process has not taken place in these two districts at all hence the polling stations here would remain closed on the day of voting. He went on to say security impediments have also made it impossible to hold elections in six more districts, Shorawak, Registan, Khakrez, Miansheen, Ghorak and Shah Walikot.
A total of 112 candidates are competing for the 11 WJ seats for Kandahar.
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