Start of Parliamentary Elections in Afghanistan

On Friday, October 6, the electoral campaign in Afghanistan began despite a new wave of violent and deadly attacks across the country and allegations of fraud. More than 2,500 individuals, including 418 women, will compete for 249 seats in the House of Representatives of Afghanistan. Posters and banners of candidates have been installed throughout Kabul and other cities. According to Mirza Mohammad Haqparast, spokesperson for the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan, the election campaign will end on October 26, and voting is scheduled for October 28. It is expected that the two rival parties led by President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah will receive more votes compared to other parties. Most current members of the Afghan parliament are running for election, but many newcomers, including the children of former warlords and several journalists, are also participating. The electoral campaign begins amid intensified attacks by the Taliban and the Islamic State group across the country. About 54,000 military and police forces will be responsible for protecting polling stations on election day. The opposition and political parties have requested the use of biometric devices to ensure transparency and prevent multiple voting. The deputy of the Afghan Election Commission told the Afghan section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that more than 4,000 of a total of 22,000 biometric devices have been transferred to Afghanistan so far. Maazullah Dowlati added that more of these devices will be brought to Afghanistan next week, and the Election Commission will strive to distribute them to all polling stations. He stated, 'Even if for some reasons these devices are not transferred to certain polling stations, the Afghan Election Commission will work to ensure that voting is conducted transparently and without fraud.'