Afghanistan vote turnout not so cheerful

Estimates show a turnout of just over 50 percent in Afghanistan's landmark parliamentary elections, well below that of last year's presidential vote.

With closing reports in from around 35 percent of polling stations after Sunday's vote, "the turnout appears to be just over 50 percent", or six million people, chief electoral officer Peter Erben told a news conference.

The figure is significantly lower than the turnout of about 76 percent for the October 2004 presidential election won by Hamid Karzai, the AFP reports.

Photo: the AP