Voting has been ended and counting is underway in parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. More than 2,500 candidates are standing for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, after past elections were marred by allegations of widespread corruption. The US and other European nations have voiced concern about security in many parts of Afghanistan amid a spate of abductions.Taliban militants kidnapped an Afghan parliamentary candidate and were blamed for snatching another 18 election workers, as President Hamid Karzai warned of irregularities in the elections. The insurgents were also blamed for the kidnapping of 18 electoral officials and campaign workers in northwestern Baghdis province.
