TALOQAN (Pajhwok): Hundreds of women on Sunday staged a protest demonstration and erected a tent in front of the governor’s house in northeastern Takhar province against rigging in the Oct 20 Wolesi Jirga elections.
Above 200 women took part in the demonstration and vowed to continue their protest until the election commission and the governor’s house responded to their demand.
Farida, one of the protesting women, said their basic demand was serious investigation into fraud and rigging in the parliamentary polls.
She said the election bodies should separate real and fake votes and do justice with the voters.
Maisam, another protestor, said fraud had been committed in the elections on behalf of some candidates.
The protesting women said they would not remove the tent until their legitimate demands were accepted.
Provincial election commission officials refused to comment.
But the governor’s spokesman, Jawad Hijri, told Pajhwok that demands and concerns of the protesting women had been shared with the authorities.
“The election commission is an independent body, we cannot interfere in its affairs, but we have shared demands of the protestors with the commission,” the official said.
Hijri said the protesting women had erected their tent at a wrong place because it had created problems for visitors.
About a week ago, protesting men had erected a tent in front of the governor’s house.