US Secretary of State John Kerry, Afghanistan presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah hold hands following a joint press conference in Kabul on July 12, 2014.
Kabul:
United States Secretary of State John Kerry has brokered a deal between the top two Presidential candidates in Afghanistan to resolve the impasse over alleged widespread fraud in the run-off polls which had been held to decide a clear winner.
During an unprecedented two-day visit to Kabul, Secretary Kerry convinced both Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmedzai to agree to an audit of the over eight million plus votes which were reportedly cast in the run-off poll. The re-count will begin within 24 hours.
The two feuding candidates also agreed to the whole process being monitored by international supervisors from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
The final results of the Afghanistan elections may now be delayed by weeks because of the painstaking process of recounting all eight million votes and weeding out the fraudulent ones.
When neither of the two top candidates managed to get over 50 per cent of the votes in the national election held on April 5, the first round of the run-off poll was held on June 14.
Afghanistan's presidential polls have since been stuck in an impasse after Dr Abdullah alleged widespread fraud in the second round of the run-off elections. He alleged that the Election Commission, his opponent Dr Ghani and President Hamid Karzai had conspired to overturn a first round lead of 13 per cent to a one million vote deficit in the run-off.
Meanwhile, the US administration is also trying to push for the signing of the BSA -- Bilateral Strategic Agreement -- that will allow American troops to stay in Afghanistan on an assist, train and supply mission.
President Karzai has refused to sign the BSA and is likely to leave the final decision to his successor.
The temporary truce brokered by Mr Kerry between the two candidates will not only delay the first democratic transition of Presidential power in Afghanistan's history, it will also leave a question mark on the fate of the American troops in the country.
During an unprecedented two-day visit to Kabul, Secretary Kerry convinced both Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmedzai to agree to an audit of the over eight million plus votes which were reportedly cast in the run-off poll. The re-count will begin within 24 hours.
The two feuding candidates also agreed to the whole process being monitored by international supervisors from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
The final results of the Afghanistan elections may now be delayed by weeks because of the painstaking process of recounting all eight million votes and weeding out the fraudulent ones.
When neither of the two top candidates managed to get over 50 per cent of the votes in the national election held on April 5, the first round of the run-off poll was held on June 14.
Afghanistan's presidential polls have since been stuck in an impasse after Dr Abdullah alleged widespread fraud in the second round of the run-off elections. He alleged that the Election Commission, his opponent Dr Ghani and President Hamid Karzai had conspired to overturn a first round lead of 13 per cent to a one million vote deficit in the run-off.
Meanwhile, the US administration is also trying to push for the signing of the BSA -- Bilateral Strategic Agreement -- that will allow American troops to stay in Afghanistan on an assist, train and supply mission.
President Karzai has refused to sign the BSA and is likely to leave the final decision to his successor.
The temporary truce brokered by Mr Kerry between the two candidates will not only delay the first democratic transition of Presidential power in Afghanistan's history, it will also leave a question mark on the fate of the American troops in the country.
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