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HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): The Independent Election Commission (IEC) regional office in western Herat province on Sunday said 30 polling stations would be closed on the Election Day and another 69 faced high security risk in unstable districts of the province.
Ahmad Dauat Sidiqzadah, IEC head for Herat, told Pajhwok Afghan News out of 300 polling stations, 30 were under high security threat and currently 270 polling stations were open for people.
He said another 69 polling stations also faced security threat, but such threats could not create hurdles to holding the election in these stations.
Concerned about security on the election day, Sidiqzadah said these insecure polling sites were in Kushki Kohna, Kushk, Rabat Sangi, Gulran, Kohsan, Chasht-i-Sharif and Obe districts.
Provincial council members said lack of coordination among security forces could allow the Taliban to launch massive attacks on polling stations.
Wakil Ahmad Karkhi, a member of the provincial council, polling stations faced closure due to lack of coordination among security forces.
He said Taliban attacks in rural areas led to closure of 69 polling stations in the province.
A number of civil society activists also urged the government to ensure that all polling stations were open and secure on the election day (Sept. 28).
Jawad Amid, a civil society activist in Herat City, told Pajhwok that security has direct impact on the election’s transparency and hoped security forces would ensure security for this  month’s election.
Meanwhile, Governor Abdul Qayum Rahimi said efforts were underway to ensure security of 300 polling stations and to keep open polling sites that currently faced high security risk in the province.
Around 571,000 eligible individuals have registered themselves to vote in the presidential election scheduled for Sept 28.
pk/ma

 

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