18 August 2010 - The Independent Election Commission (IEC) today announced that 5,897 polling centres will be open during the upcoming parliamentary elections or Wolesi Jirga, while approximately 938 polling centres or about 14 per cent of the original total will remain closed. The final list of polling centres comes after the IEC reviewed initial proposals from the Afghan National Security Forces.

Last week, Staffan de Mistura, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan, called on the IEC to make its list of polling sites available to the public at least one month in advance to ensure the transparency of the electoral process, and to show “a marked difference and progress compared with the same stage of last year's Presidential elections.” A public, final list of polling centres is an important factor in enabling the IEC to keep constant track of all sensitive materials, such as ballot papers, throughout all stages the electoral process and thus reduce the risk of electoral fraud. 

Mr de Mistura, who is also the head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan, which is providing technical and logistical support to the polls, also noted in his statement the large number of candidates and said he was “particularly encouraged by the active campaigns of women candidates.”

Of the 2,500 candidates, more than 400 women are campaigning for the 249 available seats in the Wolesi Jirga.

Noting that security challenges will be a significant obstacle, Mr de Mistura urged “heightened vigilance” over the final month before the ballot to ensure a safe electoral process.

Voter registration closed last week with 376,000 people registering as first time voters, particularly youth.

By UNAMA