18 September 2010 - The Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC), which was responsible for conducting today’s parliamentary polls, said late on Saturday that counting of the votes had so far shown that 40 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots.

IEC Chairman Fazal Ahmad Manawi told an evening press conference in the capital Kabul that 5,355 polling centres had opened countrywide and of these, votes had so far been counted from 4, 632 polling centres, showing the number of voters in these had been 3, 642,444. Polling centres across Afghanistan had closed by 4:30 pm local time.

Throughout the day there were reports of security incidents from many parts of the country, though with detailed information yet to come from many remote areas it will be some time before the full picture is clear. Residents heard explosions in Kabul just hours before the polling centres opened at 0700 am but there were no immediate reports of casualties. At the end of day press conference, the IEC chair was joined by the leadership of Afghanistan's security forces who briefed media on security incidents throughout the day.

Before the polls, the IEC had acknowledged that security incidents or other factors may force polling centres in some areas to close.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement after the close of polls commending Afghan voters "for their courage and determination in exercising their democratic right to vote" amid what he described as "significant security challenges."

Acknowledging the work of the Afghan electoral bodies so far, the Secretary-General pointed toward the process of counting and finalising the results of the ballot as he called on parties "to use appropriate legal channels to file complaints and asks for patience as the electoral authorities complete the process in accordance with the law."

More than 2,500 candidates are vying for the 249 seats in Afghanistan's lower house of parliament, known as the Wolesi Jirga (the people's house), including almost 400 women candidates. Mr. Manawi earlier in the day had said that 369,813 candidate agents, party agents and election observers had been accredited with the IEC to observe and monitor the polls, including 88,507 female observers. This figure includes more than 1,000 international observers, and more than 300 national and 300 international media.

The parliamentary elections are fully Afghan organized and conducted. The IEC is responsible for conducting the parliamentary elections. The Electoral Complaints Commission adjudicates complaints of electoral offences. The United Nations is providing technical and logistical support to these two independent Afghan electoral institutions, in response to a formal request by the Government in January 2010, through the UNDP-ELECT programme. UNAMA supports the elections as part of Afghanistan's wider political process and its support for strengthening of democracy, but UNAMA has no role in implementing, supervising or monitoring the polls.