Kabul, Afghanistan – A 27-year-old woman who is a defiant critic of Afghanistan’s powerful warlords won one of the first seats declared Thursday in provisional results from landmark parliamentary elections, a key step in the nation’s transition to democracy.
The U.N.-Afghan election body reported “serious” cases of fraud, including ballot-box stuffing after election day. It excluded 299 polling stations from the vote count but declared the Sept. 18 poll was still credible.
In Kabul, the election body declared unofficial winners for national and provincial assembly seats in two of the country’s 34 provinces, Farah and Nimroz, and said most of the other results would be released in the coming week.
Final, certified results are expected by late this month after what officials predict will be a frenetic complaints period.
“I’m very happy and thankful for Afghan men and women who voted for me,” said Malalai Joya, a women’s-rights worker from Farah who won one of her province’s five seats in the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga, or National Assembly.
“My first priority when I go to parliament will be peace, security and stability and to collect all the guns from warlords,” she said.
Joya rose to prominence after daring to denounce powerful warlords at a post-Taliban constitutional convention two years ago.
Despite concerted U.N.- backed efforts to disarm militia leaders, they remain a dominant force in much of Afghanistan.
A quarter of parliamentary seats are reserved for women in a bid to adjust the heavily patriarchal slant of Afghan politics.
