Three hours after polling stations officially opened, complaints were streaming in about polling stations in areas that had not yet opened.

According to the CEO's second deputy Mohammad Mohaqeq, voting had still not gotten underway by 9.30am in the western part of Kabul – this despite thousands of people lining the streets waiting to cast their ballots.

Mohaqeq said this constituted a serious irregularity and shortcoming which needs to be addressed by the Independent Election Commission.

Most early reports indicate that numerous polling stations in Kabul had either not opened by 9.30am or had opened really late.

Mohaqiq told TOLOnews that although polling centers were supposed to open at 7am across the country, by 9.30 am, eight polling centers in the west of Kabul were still closed.

He also said he had spoken to election commission officials who said the head of the election commission’s office in Kabul Awal Rahman Rodwall has been assigned to resolve the problem.

Mohaqiq said Rodwall’s phone was however off.

He also said 14 polling stations have not yet opened in Deh Khudaidad in PD16.

President Ashraf Ghani officially launched the long-awaited elections at 7am on Saturday morning when he cast his ballot.  

TOLOnews viewers said a voting station in PD4 had still not opened two and a half hours after voting started.

Another one said the Abdul Ahmad Jawed High School center in Khairkhana, in PD15 was still closed after 9.30am, while other centers in Koband and in Nijrab districts are open but biometric devices are not working.

The polling station at Anas Bin Malik Mosque in Khairkhana in PD11 was also closed, according to a member of the public and the Massoud Saad High School in Qala-e-Fathullah in PD10 was closed.

Other issues that voters were facing including incorrect ballot papers at polling centers in Ghorian district in Herat.

According to them, their polling centers were open but they had received ballot papers for Bamiyan and not Herat.