Protesters shut Afghan election offices as political crisis brews

KABUL, Sept 16 (Reuters): Protesters demanding anti-fraud measures shut down the offices of Afghanistan's election commission in three of the country's major provinces Saturday, just weeks before a vote for Parliament, the latest symptom of a political logjam that could turn violent amid a raging war with the Taliban.

The last-minute jockeying over an election already delayed by three years has again exposed a depressing reality: that after five elections over 17 years, costing about $1 billion, Afghanistan still lacks the most basic consensus on how an election should be held and a credible body to oversee it.

The offices were shut in Balkh province in the north, Kandahar in the south, and Herat in the west, according to Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the election commission. The protesters, largely supporters of powerful regional figures who have intensely feuded with President Ashraf Ghani, locked the gates of the commission's offices in all three provinces and pitched tents outside to hold sit-ins.

Gen Akhtar Ibrahimi, the deputy minister of interior, said the government had instructed security forces to protect the election offices and "to use force if necessary."

A spokesman for Ghani, Shah Hussain Murtazawi, said the government was supportive of proposals to make the election more transparent, but would not allow anyone to impede the process.

"Afghan security forces have the responsibility to protect the election process," Murtazawi said.

Afghan political parties, who have previously fought bloody wars with one another, have united in recent months to demand a delay in the Oct 20 vote until convincing measures to ensure fairness are put in place.