18 September 2010 - Afghans began going to the polls this morning at 7 am local time for the start of a day of voting in countrywide parliamentary elections. 

Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) is responsible for conducting the polls and as of late Friday, the IEC said it had received reports from 34 provinces on the readiness of polling stations to open.

At a press conference the night before the ballot, the IEC said that of the 18,731 planned polling stations 16,691 – 89 per cent - were ready to open and will be ready to receive voters. In addition, the IEC said that while 1,479 of polling stations were not reported as ready to open as of late Friday, they may open later today. Over 22 provinces reported 100 per cent of polling stations would be ready to open.

The IEC acknowledged that security incidents or other factors between now and the end of polling may force polling centers in some areas to close.

Residents heard two explosions in Kabul just hours before the polling centres opened but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The IEC is due to give its first of three planned press conferences today at 11am local time, when it is expected to give an update of the opening of polling centres across the country.

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. More than 360,000 candidate agents, party agents and election observers are accredited with the IEC to observe and monitor the polls, including over 84,000 women. 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 September 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.