The presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah once more brought Afghanistan’s troubled electoral process to the brink on Monday, insisting that he had won the disputed vote and vowing to reject any government formed on the basis of it. An audit of 100 percent of the ballots cast in the June runoff election is expected to conclude this week, and nearly all observers expect Mr. Abdullah’s opponent, Ashraf Ghani, to be declared the winner. Mr. Abdullah’s supporters have been suggesting that he form a parallel government, which Western diplomats have worried could lead to disorder or even civil war. But Mr. Abdullah made no mention of a parallel government in a speech to his top officials, running mates and supporters, or at a brief news conference afterward, and did not ask his supporters to take to the streets to protest the results. Nor did he explicitly repudiate his signature on an agreement, brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry during a visit here in August, to accept the results of the audit and cooperate in forming a national unity government, which would give crucial positions to the losing side as well. “I will not accept fraud and any result from fraudulent votes,” Mr. Abdullah said. “Not even for a single day will we accept a government based on fraudulent votes.” But Mr. Abdullah, a former foreign minister who was the runner-up to President Hamid Karzai in the 2009 presidential election, did not say what concrete steps he will take if Mr. Ghani is declared the winner. And although he said talks over forming a national unity government were deadlocked, he did not rule out resuming them. Full Article: Afghan Candidate Vows to Reject Disputed Vote – NYTimes.com.
The Voting News
A News Service of the Verified Voting Foundation
