KUNDUZ (Pajhwok): A large number of women on Wednesday gathered outside the Independent Election Commission (IEC) office in this capital city of northern Kunduz province to demand audit of votes.
One of the protesting women, Murtazai Rustami, who is a candidate in the Wolesi Jirgaelections, said their main demand was separation of fake and real votes.
“We have evidence which we have submitted to the commission that some candidates who did not receive votes have been declared as winners in the initial list, which is clear fraud.”
Another protestor and civil society activist, Habiba Gulistani, warned if the IEC did not separate fraudulent votes from clean votes, the people of Kunduz would not participate in the next presidential election.
“The Wolesi Jirga elections were a test case for the IEC, which it should have performed successfully,” she said.
The protesting women said if their demand was ignored, they would hold even big rallies and block the highway.
Provincial IEC officials refused to comment on the matter. But a day earlier, the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission general director, Azizullah Aryabi, told reporters in Kabulthat he had met with the protestors of Kunduz.
He said he had assured the protestors that no effort would be spared in separation of fake and real votes.
Similar protests have been carried out in other provinces of the country and the common demand has been the acceptance of only biometrically verified votes.
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