The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) sent to the ministries of interior and defense a list of 17,000 polling centers it has chosen for the 2014 presidential election, officials said.
The IEC has asked the security institutions to specify within four months the areas they are capable of securing so that the final precinct list can be finalized prior to the elections, IEC Spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said.
"[The security institutions] should specify the areas that they can't secure so that the commission could consider alternative options," Noor said.
This is the first time the Afghan ministries of interior and defense are responsible for providing security for the elections.
"With the increase in the capacities and capabilities of the Afghan forces, and with our experiences from previous elections, the forces are capable of providing security for the elections," said General Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense.
The Ministry of Interior expressed confidence in the capabilities of the Afghan police and said it will promptly begin inspecting the voting center sites and report to IEC.
"We will begin our inspections to see which areas are facing security threats. We will report our conclusions to the [election] commission," said Seddiq Seddiqi, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
"Considering the capabilities of the Afghan forces, they will be able to provide security for the elections," he added.
According to the IEC, voter registration will start in late April and finish by late July. Voting cards will be provided to people who do not have one already, either because they have lost their cards or have recently returned to Afghanistan from abroad.