3000 observers to monitor Afghan presidential polls

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan has announced on Saturday that up to 3,000 national and international observers would monitor the Afghan presidential polls to be held in April. The IEC spokesperson, Noor Mohammad Noor, while addressing a gathering, promised that all interested civil society groups would be afforded the opportunity to observe the polling process. He said that a Ministry of Justice panel had already listed over 1,400 representatives of 120 local and international entities. Noor added that the commission has sent invitations to international observers from the European Union and South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. A civil society organization, Khat-i-Naw, announced in the gathering that it would introduce 2,000 observers to IEC. He urged Afghan youth to participate in the elections actively, since of the estimated 12 million eligible voters, 70 percent are youth.