Footages and complaints show ballot boxes were allegedly stuffed at polling stations in Mosahi district of capital Kabul before the day of the Wolesi Jirga election.
As per the Independent Election Commission (IEC) voters list, 25,074 people, including 13,750 men, 10,033 women, 1,284 Kuchis, and five Hindu minorities have been registered as voters in the Mosahi district.
According to IEC, the votes from Mosahi district have not yet been entered in the commission’s vote bank.
But an observer of a parliamentary candidate, who wished to go unnamed, said as many as 2,000 people cast votes during October 20 polls in Mosahi town, but ballot boxes were stuffed with fake votes to show around 24,000 people took part in the voting.
A footage Pajhwok Afghan News has received shows ballot boxes are apparently stuffed in favor of a candidate inside the district administration and district police offices.
The footage also shows a vehicle with registration number 1461-2 is parked in the courtyard of the district building and ballot boxes can be seen inside the vehicle.
Eng. Ahmad Zia, an observer for a Wolesi Jirga candidate Mohammad Asif Shah Jahan, said ballot boxes inside the vehicle were filled with fake votes in favor of a particular candidate. He said the fraud was unearthed by some observers and informed security forces.
An IEC observer in Mosahi district also acknowledged the vote rigging allegations in the district.
Some individuals, who introduced themselves as observers, claimed security personnel were also involved in the fraud at the district center.
Without naming any candidate, they said security forces expelled observers from some polling stations and filled ballot boxes in favor of a particular candidate.
Another video shows in-charge of the polling station in Mosahi district as saying he cannot stop rigging and fraud in the election, and asks people to transfer the ballot boxes to the IEC’s main office from the district center.
Eng. Ahmad Zia Ahmadzai, an observer, said as many as 2,100 people used their votes in Mosahi, but the IEC was reported that over 20,000 people took part in the election.
He claimed some ballot boxes had been stuffed a night before the election and some on the election night in favor of a particular candidate.
He said security personnel expelled observers from polling stations and filled ballot boxes in favor of Ajmal Rahmani, Amir Gul Shahin, Mohammad Naeem Wardak and Parvin Durrani.
But Imamul Haq, a campaigner for Ajmal Rahmani, rejected the claims, saying that people will know the reality after the vote count.
Police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid said if police were found involved in electoral fraud, they would be dealt with accordingly.
Ali Raza Rohani, a spokesman for the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC), said they have received complaints about rigging in Mosahi district, which were being assessed.
IEC spokesman Syed Hafeezullah Hashimi said the votes from Kabul province were yet to be entered into the IEC’s database, and that it was too early to comment on the alleged rigging.
