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Afghans cast their vote

Published:Monday | April 7, 2014 | 12:00 AM
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Afghan workers of the election commission office unload ballot boxes from a truck after votes in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday.
An Afghan woman searches voters before they enter a polling station to cast their ballots, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on the weekend.-AP photos
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KABUL (AP):Trucks and donkeys loaded with ballot boxes made their way to counting centres on Sunday as Afghans and the international community sighed with relief that national elections were held without major violence, despite a Taliban threat.

Millions of Afghans crowded into mosques and schools to vote Saturday for a new president and provincial councils. President Hamid Karzai is on his way out, constitutionally barred from a third team after leading the country since after the Taliban were ousted in 2001.

The international community praised the vote and high turnout despite complaints about a shortage of ballots and reports of fraud.

UN commend security forces

The United Nations Security Council issued a statement saying it applauded the Afghan-led preparations for the vote and commended the performance of the Afghan security forces, who fanned out to protect polling stations. Scattered violence, including bombings, rocket attacks and gunbattles, were reported to have killed at least 20 people on Saturday, but no major attacks occurred.

Electoral officials urged patience, saying complaints were still being logged and ballots tallied. They said partial results could come as early as Sunday, but it is likely to be at least a week before a complete picture emerges.

Thijs Berman, the head of the European Union's election assessment team in Kabul, said it was too soon to draw firm conclusions, but he hailed the courage of Afghan voters.