Voting underway in Mazar: girl votes for the first time

20 August 2009 - 08:45 am: People in Mazar started to reach the polling stations from 06:45 am. After 30 minutes of delay due to the late positioning of the local observers the first voters started to use their democratic right by 07:30 am. Long lines of people are waiting in front of the Sultan Razia School. It appears that people in Mazar are turning out in large numbers. A 60 year old retired driver said: “We want more justice for our country, a good development for our region, and also peace all across the country.” A girl student in grade 12 who voted for the first time today said: “Women and men should be equal regarding their access to interesting jobs and positions.” She also said that if she was the next President of Afghanistan she would focus her efforts on finding jobs for students after their graduation.