Parliamentary elections begin in Afghanistan

Kabul, Sep 18: The parliamentary elections in Afghanistan began on Saturday, Sep 18 amid tight security and fears of widespread fraud.

Sources said more than 110,000 Afghan police and army personnel are deployed in and around 6,000 polling stations. Many polling sites are also closed due to lack of adequate security.

A total of 12.5 million Afghans are eligible to vote for more than 2,500 candidates vying for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament, the Wolesi Jirga. There are around 400 women candidates fighting the election since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Many candidates and observers said there was the possibility of fraud and double voting as fake voting cards are said to have printed in Pakistan and sold across the country.

OneIndia News