Afghanistan's presidential election was held on April 5 but since none of the eight contesters secured more than 50 percent of the votes, a runoff was conducted between frontrunners Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on June 14.

However, the result of the world's possibly longest election process has yet to be announced by the election commission, causing concerns among Afghans and the countries backing Afghanistan.

The prolonged election process has pushed the strife-torn country to the brink of its worst political crisis as both candidates have accused each other of involvement in vote rigging. It has also negatively affected business, economy and foreign investments in Afghanistan.

The election impasse and confrontation between the two presidential hopefuls have divided Afghans into two rival camps and polarized public opinion, a development that could bring Afghanistan into further chaos.

Amid trading accusations between the two candidates and the election standoff, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Afghanistan in July and brokered a deal under which a national unity government could be formed with the election winner declared as president and the loser as chief executive, a post equal to that of prime minister in the proposed administration.

Since reaching the agreement over national unity government, both Abdullah and Ghani Ahmadzai have held series of talks but all were in vain as Abdullah's team wanted the chief executive to be the head of the cabinet, a demand that has been opposed by Ahmadzai's camp.

According to some Afghan officials, the ongoing uncertainly and fragile truce between the two contenders have emboldened Taliban militants to launch more coordinated attacks against government forces in several provinces over the past three months, thus further damaging the country's stability and economic recovery.

Most Afghans are fed up with the political tug-of-war and Afghanistan's friends, including U.S. and other troop- contributing nations to NATO that have fully supported the electoral process, are losing their patience. With their complete pullout at the end of the year, Afghanistan will be left alone to fend for itself against the continuing menace caused by the Taliban.

Ensuring durable peace and security in Afghanistan would not only benefit the Afghans but the region and the whole world at large.

Afghanistan's neighboring states and world powers, including China, Russia and the U.S., have all shown their support for a viable peace and security in Afghanistan, an objective dreamed by Afghans for long.

Outgoing President Hamid Karzai has earlier announced that the country's new president would be sworn in on Sept. 2. But it is now already middle of September but the country has still no elected president.

It is hoped that the two presidential contenders would cast aside their personal ambitions and agree to compromise for the sake of the country's future and the welfare of the Afghan people. The alternative would be frightful to imagine.

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