JALALABAD --- With Parliamentary elections less than a week away, voters in Nangarhar are divided. Many say they have no desire to go to the polls, citing the poor performance of their present representatives. There are some among the electorate, however, who still hope for a positive change, and are willing to take the risk of voting.

“Our Parliamentarians have done nothing except line their own pockets,” said Sadiqullah, a resident of Jalalabad. “I am not going to vote, because it means nothing.”

Abdul Zuhor, a vegetable seller in Jalalabad, agrees.

“It is better to have no representatives rather than having irresponsible ones,” he said. “Our representatives forgot to work for the welfare of people during the past five years. Now it is time for voting again, so now they come to us. My vote does me no good.”

The complaints are not limited to the city. Voters in more remote locations voice similar sentiments.

Sayed Ahmad, who lives in BatiKot district, is as disillusioned as his urban counterparts.

“Candidates in the previous parliamentary elections made a lot of promises, but they forgot them when they became parliamentarians,” he said. “I am not going to make the same mistake twice.”

Many Afghan voters feel betrayed by their elected representatives, and are slow to forget a real or imagined slight.

“One of the parliamentarians from Nangarhar refused to help me when I was facing a problem in Kabul,” said Saifurahman, a resident of Rodat district. “He said he was sorry, but he could not see me. So why would I vote for such a candidate again?”

But some voters say they will go to the polls to vote for change.

“I will vote for the candidate of my choice, to work for Islam and our country,” said Faridullah, who lives in Jalabad.

Enjila echoed his response.

“I want to see a change this time,” she said. “New parliamentarians may provide jobs for young people.”

Member of Parliament Babrak Shinwari rejects accusations that Parliament has not performed.

“We did what we promised for our people,” he insisted. “We passed many laws, including one prohibiting violence against women, and a law to tackle the poppy problem. We did what we had to do.”

Shinwari is running again, hoping to retain his seat.

“The problem is that the electorate still has no real understanding of what we are able to do,” he said. “We have no executive power, and people expect things which are not within our area of responsibility.”

Matiullah Ahmadzai, who heads the Nangarhar office of public relations for the Independent Election Commission (IEC), said that his office has been trying its best to educate voters.

“We use any way possible to inform people and explain the importance of these elections,” he said.  “We convey election-related messages to the public through mullahs, mosques and tribal elders. But if, in spite of our efforts, people do not go to the polls, it will bring the nature of the election process into question.”

Akbar Shinwari, a lecturer in one of the private universities in Nangarhar, says that low turnout will pose no legal challenge to the validity of the election.

“Turnout in the last presidential and provincial council elections in Nangarhar was poor, due to insecurity and the lack of technical facilities at the polling centers,” he said. “We will have to wait and see how many people will come to the polls on Saturday.”