NEW YORK, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Despite the democratic achievement of the Afghan elections Thursday, serious concerns remain over security and transparency, Human Rights Watch said.
Afghanistan holds presidential and provincial council elections Thursday, with dozens of challengers attempting to unseat Afghan President Hamid Karzai and thousands vying for provincial council seats.
Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said despite the remarkable achievement, several concerns remain for his organization.
"Violence, plans to use irregular security forces at polling stations, unequal access of candidates to state media, and conditions affecting women are of particular concern," he said.
The Afghan government had launched plans to recruit as many as 10,000 local defense forces to provide security at the polling centers, which HRW notes violates the terms established by Afghan election officials.
Meanwhile, in the state media coverage of the elections, Karzai received 67 percent of the coverage, far outpacing his closest rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, who had just 8 percent of the coverage.
For women voters and candidates, HRW said security issues were establish too late, with bodyguards and other measures absent in many areas.
"Attempts to dampen expectations before the poll should not become an attempt to downplay serious levels of fraud, disenfranchisement, abuses of power, and violence," said Adams.
An undercover investigation by the BBC in Kabul, meanwhile, found fraudulent voter identification cards were readily available on the black market.
