Surprise 7 million Afghans flock to vote amid scattered reports of violence
Some seven million Afghan voters took part in the country's presidential election on Saturday, despite Taliban threats to disrupt the vote “at any cost.” Polling was extended by over an hour and ballot papers became scarce due to the high turnout.
A total of 12 million Afghan citizens were eligible to vote, meaning the turnout was roughly 58 percent, election commission chief Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani told reporters, citing preliminary estimates.
“The report we have so far indicates that many people participated in these elections and even in some stations we ran out of ballot papers,” he said. “We have already sent some ballots to those stations which we had reserved in provinces.”
Turnout levels came as a shock to officials. “People did not expect this number of people to come out to vote,” Toryalai Wesa, governor of the southern city of Kandahar, told reporters. “They thought the turnout would be similar to the past and that's why they sent fewer voting materials this time.”
Only 4.6 million people turned out at the last election in 2009.
#Afghanistan voted for its next president. Here was the scene earlier today at a polling station in… http://t.co/asYbpTlbCi
— Lucy Kafanov (@LucyKafanov) April 5, 2014
In Kabul, polling stations made the decision to extend voting
hours far past the official closing time of 4 p.m. in order to
facilitate the numbers.
Three hundred and fifty thousand Afghan servicemen and law
enforcement agencies were dispatched to cope with the anticipated
violence and threats from the Taliban.
The process was not without security problems. Two journalists
were shot on Friday, one fatally, prior to the opening of the
polls.
Nine police, seven soldiers, and 89 Taliban members were killed across the country on Saturday, according to the Ministry of the Interior. DNA India reported that two of the policemen were killed by a roadside bomb in Kalat, Zabul province, located in southern Afghanistan. Two other people were injured in the blast.
Four voters were also wounded, one critically, in a blast at a polling station in Logar, in the country’s southeast. The explosion occurred a few hours after the polls opened.
RT’s Lucy Kafanov in Kabul reported that 211 polling centers couldn't be opened on Saturday due to security reasons, according to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) chief.
#AFG#IEC head says 211 polling centers couldn't be opened today due to security. Smoother sailing in #Kabul: pic.twitter.com/11mpNM7NIK
— Lucy Kafanov (@LucyKafanov) April 5, 2014
Hundreds gathered in the western Kabul neighborhood of
Dasht-e-Barchi, waiting for most of the day to vote. However, the
turnout outside the capital was reportedly lower.
“Disturbing reports out of parts of Wardak Province.
Intimidation, fear of voting, almost nonexistent turnout in some
areas,” RT's Kafanov tweeted.
The Electoral Complaints Commission (EEC) announced on Saturday
that at least 200 complains were made about both the presidential
and local elections.The number of complaints is expected to rise
by Monday.
Some minor violations were reported, such as SMS messages being
used in an attempt to influence voters. Mobile phone companies
suspended services temporarily.
Eight candidates are fighting to take President Hamid Karzai's
seat. Karzai is unable to seek a third consecutive term, as the
practice is barred by the constitution.
None of the candidates will likely be able to obtain the 50 percent necessary for victory; a second anticipated round has been scheduled for May 28. The two highest-placed candidates will compete and the winner will be determined by a simple majority.
Former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai Rassoul, and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai are believed to have the highest chance of winning the election, according to Afghan and foreign observers. However, it will take weeks to gather the votes from around the country. The initial results are not expected to be released until the end of April.
