2 October 2005 -- A top electoral official in Afghanistan said today some 4 percent of ballot boxes from last month's elections had been quarantined due to suspected voter fraud.
Peter Erben of the joint United Nations-Afghan election body said it was reviewing reported irregularities and will announce "tough action" later this week on any ballots to be excluded from the count.
Erben said, however, the cases of fraud were "localized" and did not affect the overall integrity of the 18 September parliamentary and provincial council polls.
Many of the ballots under review come from southeastern Paktika Province. Votes from the Paghman District of Kabul are also being investigated.
Also today, hundreds of demonstrators marched through the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to protest the killing last week of a Hazara parliamentary candidate, Mohammad Ashraf Ramazan, there.
(Reuters/AP/AFP)
See also:
RFE/RL Special: Afghanistan Votes
Erben said, however, the cases of fraud were "localized" and did not affect the overall integrity of the 18 September parliamentary and provincial council polls.
Many of the ballots under review come from southeastern Paktika Province. Votes from the Paghman District of Kabul are also being investigated.
Also today, hundreds of demonstrators marched through the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to protest the killing last week of a Hazara parliamentary candidate, Mohammad Ashraf Ramazan, there.
(Reuters/AP/AFP)
See also:
RFE/RL Special: Afghanistan Votes