Half of Bamyan voters participate in presidential poll

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): About 84,000 people or half of the total registered voters in central Bamyan province exercised their right to enfranchise in the September 28 presidential election, an official said on Monday.

Ghulam Haidar Panahi, foreign relations director at the Independent Election Commission (IEC), told Pajhwok Afghan News that only one polling station out of 220 stations remained closed during the polling and people cast their votes in the province.

He said the only closed polling station due to security reasons was in the Shaibar district. He said around 84,000 people went to polling stations and cast their votes out of 172,000 registered voters.

He said all ballot boxes would be transferred to Kabul from Bamyan tomorrow.

Bamyan IEC official Mohammad Raza said eight complaints had been registered with the Complaints Commission in Bamyan.

50 percent participation of voters creates worries

Ibrahim Tola, a cultural activist in Bamyan, said the reason of low turnout in election resulted from weak campaign by election candidates, massive rigging in past elections, lack of public trust and reasons which stopped people from taking part in the election.

He said had the provincial council polls been conducted together with the presidential election, the turnout would have been greater.

nh/ma