Latest figures released by the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) show that over 2.6 million votes have been counted so far and the number might change as the process continues.

The IEC also said that so far the result sheets from 18,000 biometric devices--out of nearly 30,000--have been transferred from the devices to the election commission database.

According to the IEC, electoral materials from 21 provinces will arrive in Kabul today.

Electoral materials from 10 out of 21 provinces--which are mostly in the east and southeast-- will be transferred by road to Kabul. The remaining 11 provinces’ electoral materials, which are mostly in the south and west, will be transferred by air to Kabul, said Zabi Sadat, a deputy spokesman for the IEC.

In a new development on Thursday, the election commission allowed media outlets and journalists to visit the database center where the biometric devices are processed.

But some complain the process is still opaque. “It is very confusing to us, they are not allowing us to see what they are sending on the biometric devices and how they send it,” said Sher Aqa Rouhani, an observer.

“The changing of the numbers is a question that the people want to know about, and to which the Independent Election Commission must respond,” said Abdul Basir Toryalai, an observer.

The Election Commission has once again made a statement that it is fully committed to protecting the transparency and legitimacy of the process.

At an international level, The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday issued a statement calling on the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Elections Complaints Commission (IECC) to ensure that the votes of Afghans are accurately counted and that results are determined in a fair, inclusive and transparent manner.