Afghan presidential candidates agree to accept election results

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, August 8, 2014
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Both Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on Friday announced to accept the election results.

They made the announcement at a joint press conference attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Special envoy to Afghanistan Jan Kubis.

"We have agreed to work together for peace, security, stability and welfare of the people of Afghanistan," Abdullah said at the press conference held in the residence of Jan Kubis here in the Kabul city.

He also said that a joint communique has been signed by both the electoral teams after talks between presidential candidates Abdullah and Ghani Ahmadzai.

Without going into details of the joint communique, Abdullah added that communique reflects the common visions of the both teams.

"Protecting larger national interests require joint cooperation, " Ghani Ahmadzai said at the press conference.

Both the teams are committed to work together for the welfare and prosperity of Afghanistan, Ghani Ahmadzai added.

Afghanistan's presidential election was held on April 5 this year, and since none of the eight contenders had secured more than 50 percent of the around 7 million votes cast in, therefore the runoff was conducted between front-runners Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on June 14.

In the preliminary results of the runoff, Abdullah, who garnered more votes than Ghani Ahmadzai, had accused the election commission of committing fraud, favoring Ghani Ahmadzai and demanded recounting the votes which led to election deadlock.

The results of the presidential runoff held on June 14 will be announced by the end of August, and according to the agreement reached between the two teams, there is no loser and both the candidates would form a national unity government wherein the candidate garners more votes to become president and his opponent to become chief executive, a post equal to the post of Prime Minister.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who visited Afghanistan in mid-July and brokered an agreement between the two candidates for formation of national unity government, again visited Afghanistan Thursday night.

Since his arrival, John Kerry held separate meetings with both candidates Abdullah and Ghani Ahmadzai to end the impasse and announced his support to the agreement reached between the two candidates.

"I want to make clear that this agreement respects the Afghan constitution which the United States of America strongly supports it. It does not establish a parliamentary system, doesn't change the role of the president and his government, but it does create the new position, the chief executive who will help to manage and work together and bring people on the same path and create efficiency and transparency in the government," John Kerry said at the joint press conference.

"The United States, United Nations and the international community are deeply engaged in the post election process to help the Afghan elections to restore its credibility and the voting process," Kerry said.

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