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Afghans Disqualify Quarter of Parliamentary Votes

   VOA News 20 October 2010
   An  Afghan  election  worker  carries ballot boxes at the warehouse of
   Afghanistan's  Independent  Election Commission in Kabul, Afghanistan,
   (File).

Photo: AP

   An  Afghan  election  worker  carries ballot boxes at the warehouse of
   Afghanistan's  Independent  Election Commission in Kabul, Afghanistan,
   (File).

   Afghan  election  officials  have disqualified nearly a quarter of the
   5.6 million ballots cast in last month's parliamentary election.
   The  Independent  Election  Commission announced Wednesday that it had
   ruled 1.3 million votes invalid.
   Voters  in  the  September  18  election picked candidates to fill 249
   seats in parliament's lower house.
   Final  results  were  originally set to be released on October 31, but
   could be delayed by claims of vote-rigging and other irregularities.
   The  election  followed last year's presidential vote which was marred
   by  widespread  fraud.  The  parliamentary poll also went ahead in the
   face of threats from Taliban militants.
   In  the  latest  violence,  Britain's defense ministry says one of its
   soldiers  was killed by an explosion. This year has been the deadliest
   for international forces in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in
   2001.
   The  British  defense ministry said the soldier was clearing explosive
   devices in the southern Helmand province, when the blast occurred.
   At  least  300  British  troops  have  been  killed by enemy action in
   Afghanistan during the entire nine-year conflict.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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