18/09/2010 11:35
Polling stations open in Afghanistan for parliamentary election
Polling stations have opened in Afghanistan for parliamentary elections amid threats from the Taliban, who have vowed to disrupt the vote.
Reportedly, 2,500 candidates, of these 386 women, are running for 249 parliamentary seats, which are divided among 34 provinces by population.
Due to Taliban’s threats more than 1,000 out of the 7,000 polling stations won't open because of security threats. Polling stations in 34 provinces will stay open until 16:00 local time.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged citizens to vote despite fears of violence. He said: “I hope that all our people in all corners of the country, in any village will go to the polling centers and to vote for their favorite candidate.”