The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has finished the security review of 323 new polling stations suggested by the Independent Elections Commission (IEC). However, six of the polling centers face security threats, local officials said on Monday.
The IEC recommended the over 300 new sites be readied after security officials submitted an assessment to the election officials indicating that 414 out of 6,645 total polling stations nationwide would likely remain closed in April due to security threats.
MoI spokesman Sediq Sediqqi has maintained that the security forces are ready to provide security for all 6,747 polling stations.
"We want to ensure all election campaigns that police are on alert to provide security to the polling stations and campaigns in all provinces," he said.
He reassured the Presidential candidates about the security measures being taken to ensure they and their campaign teams are safe as they set out on the campaign trail to rally support over the next month and a half.
The IEC has completed the transfer of basic election materials to many parts of the country. And Commission officials are currently working on a public awareness program, transfering sample ballot sheets to the provinces for residents to get familiarized with the voting process.
"We will dispatch 1.3 million sample ballot sheets to remote towns and villages across the country. We are focusing on this to ensure the flow of information to places the media cannot reach," said Noor Mohammad Noor, the IEC spokesman.
The IEC announced that the packing process of essential election materials is completed. The IEC will finish the transfer of the packed material within 20 days. All related tasks would be conducted one week before the elections.