Afghan presidential poll results spark confusion as loser Abdullah vows to form government
Abdullah Abdullah arrives for a speech after the final presidential election results in Kabul on Tuesday. Reuters
Afghan presidential election took a peculiar turn on Tuesday as after the the poll panel declared incumbent President Ashraf Ghani the winner, the loser Abdullah Abdullah contested final results and vowed to form his own parallel government.
"Our team, based on clean and biometric votes, is the victor and we declare our victory. The fraudsters are the shame of history and we announce our inclusive government," Abdullah said at a press conference in Kabul.
Earlier in the day Afghan election officials said final results showed he had won 39.52 per cent of last September's vote, while Ghani had taken 50.64 per cent.
According to Afghanistan's independent election commission Ghani garnered 923,592 votes whereas Abdullah received 720,841 votes.
Election results were repeatedly delayed amid accusations of misconduct and technical problems with counting ballots.
The final vote tally was originally to be announced on Nov.7.
Hawa Alam Nuristani, head of the national election commission, said previously that 1.8 million Afghan citizens voted in the election out of some 9.6 million eligible voters.
On election day, many Afghans found incomplete voters’ lists, unworkable biometric identification systems aimed at curbing fraud, and in some cases hostile election workers.
In Kabul, it was rare to see a crowded polling center. Afghans who had patiently lined up before voting centers were opened, in some locations found that election officials had yet to arrive by opening time.
The election commission tried to launch a ballot recount in November but Abdullah halted the attempt, saying he wouldn’t let his observers participate.
Thousands of his supporters rallied against what they said were fake ballots and the controversial recount had seemed set to favour Ghani.
Agencies
