Kabul, 30 September 2005 - The EU Election Observation Mission notes that, based on reports of its observers across the country, in certain provinces the counting process has revealed worrying cases of fraud, such as ballot stuffing, proxy voting and possible intimidation of voters intended to influence their choice of candidate. While these phenomena do not appear to be nation-wide, they are a cause for concern. The EU EOM stresses the need for the election administration to handle these issues in a transparent and effective way, in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. The EU EOM will stay in country till the very end of the counting and complaints adjudication process and will include all findings in its Final Report. For any further information please contact Filippo di Robilant, EU EOM Press Officer: Phone 079-877222 and email filippo.dirobilant@eueomafg.org Visit our website: www.eueomafg.org