Afghanistan ? Afghanistan’s upcoming parliamentary elections face a funding shortfall of $31 million because international donors have failed to deliver on pledges, a U.N. spokesman said Monday.

The lack of funding threatens to undermine plans for the polls scheduled for Sept. 18, which are expected to cost about $149 million, said Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

“If these funds do not become available very shortly, it will hurt essential preparatory work such as voter education and the establishment of thousands of polling stations and the hiring of over 140,000 polling staff,” he said at a news conference.

Recent violence has also threatened to destabilize Afghanistan ahead of the crucial legislative polls. Officials warned that the violence could imperil more than three years of progress toward elections and the establishment of democracy in Afghanistan.

“We urge donor governments to reaffirm their commitment to the September elections by acting to address this problem as rapidly as possible,” he said.

Edwards declined to identify the countries that have not paid.