Voters are seen at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Bamyan, Afghanistan, on Oct. 20, 2018. (Xinhua/Noor Arya)

KABUL, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Election Complaints Commission (ECC) on Saturday called upon the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to ensure transparency and fairness in the parliamentary elections.

"The turnout was high and people including women hugely rushed to the polling stations to use their constitutional rights to cast vote, but unfortunately our surveys and inspections have found that voting process is going on with shortfall and mismanagement," spokesman and secretary of ECC Alireza Rohani told reporters at a press conference here.

Voting for Wolesi Jirga or Lower House of parliament begun at 07:00 a.m. local time and would last until 04:00 p.m. local time on Saturday wherein more than 2,500 candidates are racing to secure a seat in the 249-seat house.

The voting started amid tight security coincided with blasts and militants' attacks in Kabul and other provinces, where according to eyewitnesses a dozen people have lost their lives and more than three dozen others sustained injuries.

People in many polling stations have complained that the stations have remained closed for hours, prompted the tired voters to return home without casting their votes.

"ECC wants the IEC to do its best to remove all the obstacles and pave the way for the voters to cast vote free of concerns to have free and fair elections," Rohani noted.

Meantime, Gula Jan Abdul Badi Sayad, chairman of Independent Election Commission has assured that the time of voting might be extended and those have failed to cast their votes might be allowed to use their franchise on Sunday.