Afghans vote for second day as violence and technical issues plague polls
As voting in Afghanistan’s elections – extended due to a wave of militant attacks which claimed more than 50 lives – drew to a close yesterday, reports of more violence and mismanagement emerged across the country.
Independent Election Commission chairman Abdul Badi Sayat congratulated voters for turning out, saying about four million people out of 8.8 million registered voters cast their ballots over the past two days at 4,576 polling centres across the country.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also thanked citizens for their participation during a speech carried on state TV.
“Afghans did not only show their enemies that they would not surrender to any threats or warnings, but that they also have the power and will to defeat their enemies,” Mr Ghani said, referring to threats from the Taliban and an ISIS affiliate against voters. But the vote was marred by violence and technical hitches. A roadside bomb in eastern Nangarhar province struck a vehicle filled with civilians, killing 11 people, including six children. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to figures presented by the Independent Election Commission, 407 polling centres were completely shut on the first day of voting owing to the sensitive security situation in several parts of Afghanistan. Other polling centres faced technical as well as security issues, hindering normal operations and leaving many voters stranded.
The commission decided to keep the polling centres open for past the voting deadline on Saturday. It also extended voting times in at least 253 centres across the country yesterday.
“After hours of waiting in lines yesterday, I was finally able to cast my vote today,” Rafi Tabee, a Kabul resident, told The National.
Mr Tabee went to his designated polling centre in the Afghan capital several times over the course of the day but was unable to vote.
“There was a lot of mismanagement of the system. There was no order, from morning to evening. We asked everyone what to do and they kept asking us to wait,” he said.
“I was so unhappy that night. I could not sleep. I was upset that the government couldn’t fix these small problems even after so much money had been spent,” Mr Tabee said.
The only way to address the lack of law is by bringing in stronger lawmakers RAFI TABEE Kabul resident
There were also concerns about election fraud and issues related to a newly introduced biometric system. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said more than 60 arrests had been made on the charge of meddling in electoral affairs.
“At least 40 of these cases are in Kabul alone. Some of those found guilty are government personnel, both civil and military,” he said.
“There will be serious legal repercussions for those security officials who intervene in the affairs of the elections.”
Many of those trained in using the new system did not show up for work, causing mass confusion on polling day.
The first parliamentary elections since 2010 were being held against a backdrop of near-daily attacks by the Taliban, who have seized nearly half the country and have repeatedly refused offers to negotiate with the Kabul government.
The security situation improved slightly on the second day of voting. Although fewer election-related security incidents were reported yesterday, the bodies of five election observers who were kidnapped yesterday were recovered in Balkh province with gunshot wounds.
“The victims were all observers,” Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, a police spokesman in Balkh, told The National. He said police suspected Taliban involvement in the kidnapping.
Before the elections, the Taliban told Afghans to boycott the vote, despite engaging in negotiations with the US earlier this month.
Over the course of the first day of the parliamentary elections, the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs recorded 193 violent incidents, including suicide attacks, explosions and gun battles.
The majority of these attacks were attributed to the Taliban, who called the elections a “sham process”.
However, despite the threats from the militants, Afghan citizens turned out to vote in large numbers.
“Participating in the elections is our duty,” Mr Tabee told The National.
He spoke of seeing many people becoming more and more concerned as they read reports on social media of explosions taking place across the Afghan capital as they waited in line to cast their vote.
“We know why there are explosions happening, and the only way to address the lack of law is by bringing in stronger lawmakers,” he said.
“I want to vote for the new generation.”