Representatives from Ghazni Provincial Council and civil society institutions have raised their voice over the sluggish process of public awareness campaigns in the 2014 presidential elections. Local officials accuse the election commission of holding awareness programs in the province too late.
The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) has opened up the Election Information Center, a call center dedicated to informing the public about the election process.
According to the IEC, close to 6,000 Afghans call daily to get information regarding the elections.
Ghazni provincial council members have said that because of the negligence of the IEC until now large numbers of women haven't received the voting cards and public awareness campaign also moves with slow pace.
"Workers assigned for awareness campaign haven't done their duties necessarily, they have only done it through media, but electricity isn't available in many villages and people have no TV and awareness," Ghazni provincial council member Hamida Gulistani said.
In addition, Ghazni civil society institutions have said that people in insecure districts and regions of the province lacking adequate awareness about the elections.
"The majority of the people have no access to media, they should have gained services of the youths, civil society institutions and women foundations to do the job, they should have invested that budget which was allocated for media to do the job through the locals and it would have left positive results," member of civil society institution in Ghazni Homayoun Amiri said.
"In some districts of Ghazni particularly in insecure districts, it seems that public awareness campaigns haven't been conducted effectively as they are done in the secure districts," Chairman of Asayesh Cultural and Social Institution Reza Nazari added.
But IEC officials in Ghazni have said that public awareness campaigns are moving forward effectively in the province.
"Our mobile teams comprising the male and the female workers have talked with tribal elders, religious scholars and people and are providing awareness to the people on the elections," IEC provincial chairman in Ghazni Shah Jahan Sardari said.
Presidential campaigning begins on February 2, and will see eleven contenders make their big push to build support for their candidacies before election day on April 5.