AT-KABUL: Over the past fortnight, at least 50,000 people in southern Helmand province have registered to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and district councils elections scheduled to be held in October, said the Independent Election Commission.Helmandis say they will defy all odds and register to vote despite threats.
This follows an announcement by the Independent Election Commissionon Friday suggesting that over one million people have been registered in the past 20 days across the country.
In Helmand, almost 7,000 women have registered to vote, said Ahmad Shah Sahibzada, head of the Independent Election Commission in Helmand.Public turnout in voter registration has augmented and is growing, he added.
“More and more people are visiting voter registration centers despite security threats,” said Abdul Satar, a resident of Helmand.
“People are coming from different parts of Helmand to register. I came here (to the voter registration center) with five others. The center seems busy,” said Jan Agha, a resident of the province.
“I did not have an identity card but it got it recently and now I want to register for voting,” said Lala Jan, a resident of Helmand.
He called on the people to participate in the registration process to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and district councils’ election.
On Friday, Afghanistan’s Ulema Council, the country’s religious scholars’ council, called on the people to participate in the voter registration process to decide on the country’s fate through election.