KABUL - Abdullah Abdullah said he has called on two ministries to help carry out awareness campaigns.
Addressing a special meeting of the Council of Ministers on Saturday, CEO Abdullah Abdullah spelled out the voter registration process and called on the people to support the election process.
The voter registration process was launched last Saturday but so far turnout has been slow.
Abdullah emphasized that only the people who register will be able to vote in the upcoming elections.
He also told the people that when they go to a registration center, they must have their identity cards with them.
He said he has directed the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs and Ministry of Information and Culture to help increase public awareness around elections.
Abdullah said elections were “extremely important” for the country and that Afghanistan’s political situation will be challenged if the process does not happen.
Meanwhile, he thanked the media for their role in helping to drive public awareness around the voter registration process and elections.
Abdullah’s remarks come a day after a senior Independent Election Commission (IEC) official said the institution was worried about the safety of voter registration centers in some parts of the country.
“Security forces should ensure the safety of voter registration centers, the people and the safety of election employees in a better way,” the IEC’s financial and administrative deputy Maazullah Dawlati told TOLOnews.   
Some voter registration centers have already come under threat and at least three have been attacked.
On Tuesday, unknown armed men attacked a voter registration center in Ghor province and kidnapped three IEC employees and two policemen. Ghor police spokesman said the attackers were Taliban.
On Thursday, unknown armed men attacked two police force members in Jalalabad City who were guarding a voter registration center. The two policemen were killed in the ensuing gunfight.
On Friday, unknown armed men attacked a voter registration center in Qala-e-Naw, the center of Badghis province, where a police officer assigned to maintain security was killed. (Tolo news)