Independent Election Commission (IEC) officials said on Sunday that about 6,500 people registered to vote across the country on the first day of the voter registration process. 

“Based on our reports, the process of voter registration is moving well, but the turnout that the commission expects is not good. InshaAllah we hope that the participation of our countrymen increases in the coming days,” said IEC commissioner Maliha Hassan. 

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and First Lady Rula Ghani on Saturday officially launched the voter registration process and signed up themselves to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and district council elections, scheduled for October 20. 

However the IEC has expressed hopes that more people will make their way to registration centers in the next few weeks. 

According to IEC officials, Kabul has 374 voter registration centers. Officials said they hoped 37,000 people would register at these centers every day. 

The IEC has so far established 1,419 voter registration centers across the country . 

The IEC has estimated the cost of the voter registration process will be $30 million USD and it has hired over 11,000 people for the duration of the registration process. 

The IEC and government have earmarked 7,300 polling centers across the country, however, nearly 1,000 of these centers are located in areas out of government’s control.

The voter registration process will be broken up into three phases. 

In the first phase, those eligible to vote can register at IEC offices in provincial centers from April 14 to May 12. 

In the second phase, which starts from May 15 and continues to May 28, the process will be carried out in the districts.

In the third phase, which starts from May 28 to June 22, the voter process will be carried out in remote regions of the country.