KABUL, Nov 8: Afghanistan has completed the first phase of elections for next month’s loya jirga (grand assembly) which will approve the draft constitution, paving the way for next year’s presidential election, officials said on Saturday.

“The first phase of elections for the constitutional loya jirga, which includes the registration of the representatives, was completed in (all) 32 provinces,” Mohammad Farook Wardak, director of the Constitutional Commission secretariat, told reporters.

Elections for women representatives have been completed in 14 provinces, including Paktia province.

All the representatives will then elect delegates at the start of December to attend the loya jirga. Some 500 delegates, mostly elected by representatives but some chosen by President Hamid Karzai, will attend to the loya jirga.

Some 82 women, one from each province and another 50 chosen by Karzai, will take part in the assembly which is due to meet from Dec 10 to debate and approve Afghanistan’s new constitution.

Elections for representatives of the nomadic Kuchis were ongoing and would be completed soon, Mr Wardak said, adding that elections by refugees in Pakistan and Iran for their representatives would be completed by Nov 12.

The draft constitution was finally unveiled on Monday and will be debated at the loya jirga after the elections for delegates are completed in the first week of December.

Approval of the constitution will allow preparations to get underway for presidential elections scheduled for June 2004, in which Mr Karzai has already said he will stand.—AFP