An Afghan voter casts his ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Kandahar city, capital of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on Oct. 27, 2018. People in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar on Saturday started voting for their favorite candidates for parliament, after a week-long delay in the process. (Xinhua/Sanaullah Seiam)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- People in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar on Saturday started voting for their favorite candidates for parliament, after a week-long delay in the process.
Afghanistan Independent Election Commission (IEC) postponed the elections for Wolesi Jirga or Lower House of parliament, after the Kandahar police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq and provincial intelligence chief, Gen. Abdul Momin were killed in a gunshot by a Taliban claimed infiltrator, just two days ahead of the voting which begun on October 20.
The voting process in Kandahar started under tight security at 08:00 a.m. local time, as security forces have started checking cars crossing throughout the election sites in the provincial capital Kandahar city and other districts.
However, Independent Election Commission (IEC) said no poll would be held in the restive Maruf and Nish districts, as no voters have so far been registered there.
Parliamentary election has also been postponed for an indefinite period in Kandahar's neighboring Ghazni province.
According to the IEC, 111 candidates from Kandahar were competing for 11 seats, including three for women, at the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament.
The election commission has also said that 567,000 people have registered to vote in Kandahar. According to security sources, over 6,000 troops have been deployed to protect voters and electoral sites.
Dozens of people, including voters and electoral staffs have been killed or wounded, since the long-delayed poll started in 32 out of the country's 34 provinces on October 20. About 2,500 candidates contested in the elections to earn seats in the 249 Lower House of parliament.
