Updated on
Summary
Millions of Afghans -- undeterred by threats from insurgents who have vowed to disrupt the key democratic exercise -- are all set to go to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president and hundreds of provincial council members. Independent Election Commission officials said that 21 domestic observer groups, 30 international monitoring organisations and 200 media outlets have been accredited to ensure the transparency of the vote, considered critical to Afghanistan's future. Thirty-four candidates including President Hamid Karzai, ex-foreign minister Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Dr. Ashraf Ghani are in the run for presidential office. Two women -- Dr. Frozan Fana and Shahla Ata -- are also vying for the top slot in the second presidential ballot in Afghanistan's history. Residents of some districts in the south, southeast and centre fear disenfranchisement for different reasons, including warnings from Taliban, remote location of polling stations and restrictions on women voters by family patriarchs.
