The Independent Election Commission, IEC, is fully prepared for the election on September 28 now that all employees have been hired and trained and election materials are being distributed, the head of the commission, Hawa Alam Nuristani, said.

Nuristani, who addressed a news conference alongside security officials, said biometric devices and their servers have also been prepared.

In the run-up to the presidential elections on September 28, the United Nations in Afghanistan urged all stakeholders to play their part in creating conditions for citizens to vote in safety and to ensure the credibility of the electoral process is safeguarded.

“Free from fear, intimidation and threats of violence, voters must be given every opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to cast a ballot and elect political representatives in a peaceful manner,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.