Voter registration drive sluggish in Jawzjan

SHIBERGHAN (PAN) on Thursday said the voter registration process in northern Jawzjan province was ongoing, but at a slow pace.

The first phase of the nationwide exercise began on May 24 in capitals of all the 34 provinces and the second phase is to be launched on July 27 in all districts.

IEC Public Awareness Director in Jawzjan Mohammad Aslam Haidari told Pajhwok Afghan News 1,900 people, 20 percent of them women, had been registered since the campaign began.

“The lack of awareness among people about the voter registration is one of the major reasons behind a slow-paced process, which requires advertisement to be accelerated,” he said.

He called on civil society groups and prayer leaders to help the election commission create awareness about the process and convince more people into approaching voter registration centers.

Mohammad Khan Taqi, a resident of Shiberghan, the provincial capital, said people evinced less interest in participating in elections compared to the past.

He said those elected in the previous elections had failed to come up with people’s expectations. “I will not cast my vote until I am convinced the result will not be the same.”

A foundation called “Samangan Solidarity Council” on Thursday announced working for creating awareness among people to take part in the April 5 presidential and provincial council elections.

The foundation head, Khwaja Abdullah, said the body came into being as a result of an agreement with the IEC office in Jawzjan. It has employed 50 members to implement the programme, he said. He said the council would also provide information to people on human rights situation.

Under the memorandum of understanding reached with the IEC, Abdullah said the election body had pledged providing necessary facilities to the council in order to have good results.

Hasina, who speaks on behalf of the council, said she used all her energy by travelling to remote areas to ask people to participate in the elections.

“I know it is difficult to go to a remote area and give uneducated people a positive mentality, but I as a campaigner will do my best in this regard”, she vowed.

The IEC recently announced it had so far registered 120,000 people, including 30,000 women, across the country, indicating a very less number of women registered compared to men.

mds/ma