Unity Government: Polling Station and Pm Gmt

unity government: Early on Saturday, an explosion occurred near a polling station in the southern city of Kandahar, wounding at least 15 people, according to The Independent. The polls opened at 7am local time 2 30 GMT and are scheduled to close at 5pm 12 3 GMT . The presidential election is being contested by 14 candidates, with incumbent President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah seen as the top two men have shared power over the past five years in a so-called unity government formed by the United States in the wake of allegations of widespread fraud and corruption in the 2014 polls. Security has been tightened across the country, with tens of thousands of troops and police deployed to guard polling stations and prevent attacks. The Taliban, which has been waging a war demanding the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country following its 2001 overthrow by US-led forces, has denounced the election as a sham . On Thursday, the group urged Afghans to boycott the vote and threatened to attack security forces, block roads and target polling stations across the country. The Taliban began peace negotiations with the US in October last year but earlier this month, following the conclusion of the ninth round of talks, US President Donald Trump dashed increased hopes of an agreement by abruptly declaring the discussions as dead .'A leader to end the war'More than 72,000 security personnel have been deployed to 49,402 polling booths nationwide, while 410 polling centres will remain closed on Saturday over security concerns. We ask fellow countrymen to refrain from venturing out of their homes on this day so that, may God forbid, no one is harmed, it said in a statement. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.