Afghanistan's Electoral Process Is Coming Under Attack, UN Says
June 22 (Bloomberg) -- Afghanistan is becoming ``more volatile'' and gunmen are attacking the country's process for elections scheduled for September, Jean Arnault, the United Nations special envoy, said.
``We are now facing direct attacks with fairly heavy weapons against the office of the electoral process,'' Arnault said yesterday in the Afghan capital, Kabul, according to a UN statement. Attacks in the past three weeks are evidence life in Afghanistan ``has become more volatile.''
Three rocket-propelled grenades were fired at an electoral office in Kabul late Sunday. An office in the southern city of Kandahar was attacked on Friday, the UN said.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said earlier this month the country will go ahead with its first democratic elections in September in the face of the increased violence. Fighters from al- Qaeda and the ousted Taliban regime are blamed for the attacks, which have targeted Afghan officials, UN convoys and election workers. Eleven Chinese construction workers were killed June 9 near the northern city of Kunduz.
Voter registration is increasing with 4.1 million Afghans out of 9.5 eligible voters completing the process, the UN said. An average of 90,000 Afghans are registering each day. Last week, the daily figures twice topped 101,000, the UN said.
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