Afghanistan’s EC Declares Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai As Winner of Presidential Poll

Afghanistan’s election commission has named Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the winner of the presidential election on September 21, 2014, but chose not to reveal the final vote figures.

The announcement comes hours after Ghani Ahmadzai signed an agreement for power-sharing with opponent Abdullah Abdullah, said a report on Times of India. Abdullah will be filling the position of government chief executive.

Reportedly, Halim Fidai, a supporter of Ghani Ahmadzai, said that UN representative Jan Kubish had told the election commission not to reveal the final vote tallies.

A senior US official has commented that the results are transparent, although the commission may release the same slowly later fearing violence. However, the official preferred to be anonymous given his lack of authority to talk on the matter public.

Incoming president Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and opponent Abdullah Abdullah on Sunday signed the national unity government deal. President Hamid Karzai, who has been in power since 2001, looked on. The new agreement creates the role of chief executive in the government, which Abdullah will fill.

The new agreement comes after weeks of negotiation on the power-sharing arrangement, amidst all the accusations of fraud in the voting in June.

Karzai, who was present at the signing, said, “I am very happy today that both of my brothers, Dr Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah, in an Afghan agreement for the benefit of this country, for the progress and development of this country, that they agreed on the structure affirming the new government of Afghanistan.”

The deal also holds importance for John Kerry, the US secretary of state, who had an important role in getting the candidates to agree on sharing power during his visit to the country in July. He also returned in August and spent many hours with both sides in phone calls to get the deal signed.

Meanwhile, a statement from the White House lauded both sides and agreed that the new power-sharing agreement brings closure to the political crisis in the country.

“This agreement marks an important opportunity for unity and increased stability in Afghanistan. We continue to call on all Afghans — including political, religious, and civil society leaders — to support this agreement and to come together in calling for cooperation and calm,” the White House statement said.

An appointment ceremony is expected within days when Ghani Ahmadzai will be replacing Karzai as the president of Afghanistan, and Abdullah will swear in as chief executive. No timetable or date was released officially.

Reports had it that the new agreement was the only viable path for the country, and the next Afghan government is more about the negotiations than the final tally of the votes. Despite the fact that the voting recount only made Ghani Ahmadzai win, the new deal will only curb the new president’s power significantly.

The new announcements and deal end the massive accusations and allegations of fraud by Abdullah, whose side had claimed that the fraud was highly sophisticated and undetectable.