KABUL - Election officials in eastern Afghanistan are working relentlessly in the final hours of preparations before polling opens at 7 am tomorrow.

The stage has already been set in most of the districts, while officials said they will work overnight to get the job done in Nuristan and Kunar provinces.

“Election materials have been delivered to all (polling) centres without any problem,” said Matiullah Ahmadzai, External Relations Officer of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Nangarhar province.

There are a total of 507 polling centres consisting of 1,903 polling stations in Nangarhar with population of about 1.4 million.

There are 44 polling centres in Jalalabad, the provincial capital.

Shajahan Sardari, the head of the IEC in Kunar province, said polling materials have already been delivered to 70 per cent of the total of 119 polling centres.

“We will work throughout the night to cover the remaining 30 per cent,” said Mr Sardari.

However, in Nuristan, which has very difficult mountainous terrain, polling materials have been delivered to almost all the centres with exception of a few “problematic” districts.

There are a total of 73 polling centres planned in the province.

Fida Mohammad Amin, an officer with the IEC in the province, said the election staff will work through the night to get the polling materials delivered to respective centres, adding that the materials are being ferried by all possible means – donkeys, horses and trucks.

Mr Amin said there are problems especially in Mandol district and the IEC is trying to get it solved through elders.

Mr Amin is proud to state that local villagers extended full voluntary support in the delivery of polling materials in Parun and Wama districts.

He said there was no problem whatsoever in Bargimatal district, which was briefly captured by anti-government elements early last month.

Election officials in Laghman said 99 per cent of the work has been completed.

UNAMA saw polling stations being set up in two of the polling centres in Jalalabad today.

“Non-sensitive materials such as tables, chairs and screens are already fixed and placed in all 14 stations,” said Said Asghar, manager of a polling centre at Bibi Ayisha School. “Sensitive materials like ballot boxes, ballot papers, ink and stamp will be readied early morning tomorrow so that it is ready by 7am.”

Mr Asghar said he expects voter turnout to be between 7,000 and 10,000 in his polling centre, which will have 14 stations.

There will be five staff members in each station: team leader, registration officer, ballots distributor, a man watching ballot boxes and the one to manage voters queue.

A female polling centre at Alayee Girls School, which will also house 14 stations, has special facilities for people with disabilities.

Sahar Sharif, the manager of the centre (who is the only male election staff member) said voters coming in wheelchairs can easily move around the centre.

By Shafiqullah Waak, UNAMA