Afghanistan beyond Parliamentary Elections

摘要

Afghanistan is trying to recover from the impact of its violence soaked parliamentary elections, marred by boycott appeal by Taliban, suicide attacks, electoral inefficiencies, etc. The voting process was extended by a day to have face-saving voter turnout figures. During election days, over 100 persons lost their lives due to violence and more than 30 percent polling stations did not open due to security reasons. There was hours of delay in opening of remaining polling stations. The Elections were held three years behind the schedule. Independent Elections Commission Chairman Abdul Badi Sayat said more than 3 million people out of 8.8 million registered voters cast their ballots. But the actual figures were much lower. Reportedly, the biggest turnout was in Kabul and the lowest in the southern Uruzgan province. Polling on October 21 continued in 401 voting centres, including 45 in Kabul. The results of the polling will not be released before mid-November and final results will not be out until December. The US-backed government is rife with corruption, and the Afghan people did not expect the elections to be fair. The first parliamentary elections since 2010 were held against a backdrop of near-daily attacks by the Taliban, who have seized nearly half the country and have repeatedly refused offers to formally negotiate with the Kabul government.