Associated Press

Kabul, April 30:

The nomination of candidates for Afghanistan’s first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Taliban started today, as preparations began in earnest for the September 18 vote.

Candidates have until May 19 to submit their applications to offices of the joint Afghan-UN electoral commission across the country. Contenders for the lower house of Parliament must resign top government positions, sign a declaration that they have no links to illegal militias and submit the voter identification card numbers and signatures of 300 supporters. Observers expect the parliamentary elections will inflame local rivalries, making them harder to police than the presidential vote, which was won by Hamid Karzai. American military commanders have warned militants could try to stage a spectacular attack in the run-up to the vote, though they say they have no specific intelligence that militants are preparing such a strike.