Khost residents want voter registration period extended

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Some residents of southeastern Khost province say the period of the ongoing voter registration process should be extended in the province.

In a mark of protest, dozens of people gathered at the only voter registration center in Khost city, the provincial capital, and said probably thousands of people would be deprived of voting if the period of the registration process was not extended.

According to Independent Election Commission (IEC) officials in Khost, 10,104 people have so far registered as voters in the province as of Friday.

Haji Zarif, one of the protesting residents, told Pajhwok Afghan News that he arrived at the voter registration center around 6am today morning but was unable to get his turn despite waiting for about four hours.

He said many people would be deprived of getting their voter cards if the registration process was not extended.

“The government should extend the voter registration period for at least one week, you can see around 300 people have come to this center but less than 30 of them have so far registered,” he said.

Jannat Mir, another protestor, said people who did not get their voter cards in last Wolesi Jirga votes were now trying to get them.

He also said the voter registration process should be extended so no one was deprived of the process. He too complained about the slow going registration process and said he did not get his turn despite waiting for four hours.

Abdul Rahman Muhabbat, IEC head for Khost, while visiting the protestors, said that the voter registration process would be ongoing till late night today if he did not receive an order for extending the process to more days.

“We have not received any orders about extending the voter registration process, but we hope it would be extended and the people who are waiting would also be able to registered,” he said.

mds/ma