Up to 148 vote sites closed due to security threats in Afghanistan

DPA, 21ST OCTOBER, 2018-Up to 148 polling stations across Afghanistan remained closed Sunday due to security threats as the country entered a second day of parliamentary elections that have been fraught with issues.

Of the 401 polling stations that were supposed to open, only 253 actually did so, while the rest remained closed, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Shaima Soroush, told dpa.

Voters can cast their ballots till 4 pm (1130 GMT). However, if voters are still casting ballots, the IEC will extend the time.

A total of 4,900 polling stations were due to open on Saturday, but irregularities abounded, with some never opening, others having no election material and still others reporting technical issues.

According to Thomas Ruttig, co-director of Afghanistan Analysts Network, the election was the worst he observed since 2004. He described it as chaotic and poorly prepared, with biometric devices arriving too late and a lack of control by the election commission.

More than 3 million people voted on Saturday, and data from 253 polling stations was still expected, said IEC chief Abdul Baddi Sayyad during a press conference late Saturday.

Some 8.8 million Afghans had registered for the election, according to IEC statistics.

Sayyad acknowledged negligence by IEC staff and site managers, adding that staff hired for the process in some provinces did not show up to the sites due to threats by the Taliban.

The militants had earlier warned teachers against working for the commission or allowing their schools to be used as polling stations.

The militants had also repeatedly warned voters against casting their ballot or taking part in the “evil process.”