KANDAHAR (Pajhwok): Some protesting Wolesi Jirga candidates on Wednesday disrupted inspection and vote recount at 22 polling stations by Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IEC) officials in southern Kandahar province, an official said.
Election watchdogs, media persons and observers of candidates had been invited to the vote inspection, but some candidates and their observers raised objections and halted the process to be launched.
Karimullah Stanikzai, IECC head for Kandahar, said halting the inspection of some polling stations by candidates was a crime.
He said they had so far registered 469 complaints which had been categorized and being addressed in line with the law.
He said the complaints about forceful ballot stuffing, rigging by election staff and other fraud during the parliamentary polls.
He said as part of their complaint hearing, the IECC wanted to inspect 22 polling stations in line with the law, but some candidates and their observers disrupted the process.
However, some candidates claimed massive rigging in the elections and demanded inspection of 137 polling stations instead of only 22.
Mullah Abdullah Haqnuma, one of the protesting candidates, asked the IECC to inspect and recount ballots of all the polling stations.
He said only biometric votes were acceptable to them and non-biometric votes should be invalidated.
Jumma Din Badezi, another candidate, said they wanted transparency and fairness and would not allow anyone to enter the Wolesi Jirga through rigging and fraud.
He demanded inspection and recount of votes of all polling stations before the complaints were addressed.
