Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday asked groups protesting parliamentary election results to maintain peace and avoid disorder, a day after the announcement of the final results, DPA reported.
Karzai said he appreciated people's participation in the political process but asked all the protesting candidates and their supporters to "avoid any violent action and disorder and present their complaints to the justice organs."
The Independent Election Commission on Wednesday announced the final results of the September 18 election for the 249-member lower house of parliament, which was marred by widespread fraud.
More than 1,500 people, including seven candidates, protested Thursday in the northern province of Takhar, blocking the main Takhar-Kunduz highway for hours, said Faiz Mohammed Tawhidi, the provincial governor's spokesman.
They marched from Taliqan, the provincial capital, to the governor's office and then blocked the highway, he said, adding that protestors also blocked the road Wednesday.
Atiqullah Adibyar, a failed candidate who was among the protesters, called the poll "fraudulent" and asked for "transparent results," vowing to continue the demonstrations until the protestors "obtain their rights."
Similarly, about 2,000 supporters of Ahmad Khan Samangani, a former warlord, protested in the northern province of Samangan. They also blocked the Balkh-Samangan highway for hours, provincial police chief Abdul Razaq Elahi said.
About 100 lawmakers, candidates and their supporters took to the streets of Kabul Wednesday just before the announcement, accusing election officials of fraud and calling on the Attorney General's Office to scrap the results.
Deputy Attorney General Rahmatullah Nazari said four suspects were arrested on charges of fraud and bribery during the elections. He also accused the election commission of "prematurely releasing" the final results, saying his office had launched a criminal investigation into election fraud.
More than 1.3 million votes, nearly one-quarter of the ballots cast, have been ruled invalid by the election commission, and more than two dozen preliminary winners, among them a cousin of President Hamid Karzai, were disqualified.