GARDEZ (PAN): Independent Election Commission (IEC) officials said on Wednesday the voter registration campaign was going well in southeastern Paktia province.
Public awareness chief at the Paktia IEC office, Sher Ali Faizi, told Pajhwok Afghan News so far 57,000 people, including 24,000 women, had been issued with voter cards over the past four months.
He said the figures showed the number of registered voters in Paktia had increased by 10,000, compared to those in neighbouring Paktika province.
Some residents linked the accelerating voter registration drive to the advent of winter, when security incidents decline. They believed the IEC should extend the registration period and use various means through which people could get voter cards.
A tribal elder in Chamkani district, Haji Zahir, said people had a little interest in getting voter cards few months ago due to security fears. “But with the arrival of winter, most people try to get voter cards.”
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