Afghan presidential poll unofficial results today

Without a clear majority, runoff expected between Abdullah and Ghani.

ISLAMABAD:

Afghan election authorities are set to announce complete but unofficial results of this month’s presidential elections on Saturday amid much anticipation.

The possibility of a runoff between the top two candidates is all the more certain after the announcement of nearly 82% of results that placed Dr Abdullah Abdullah in the lead with 43.8% of the total vote, followed by Dr Ashraf Ghani with 32.9%.

Election rules state that a successful candidate needs to get 50%, plus one vote, to be declared the winner. Failure to secure the necessary votes leads to a one on one race between the top two to decide who the winner is.

Chief of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, told a news conference in Kabul on Thursday that only 17.5% of the votes remained to be counted, adding so far the declared votes indicate that no candidate would secure the necessary numbers to win.

The second round of polls should be held within two weeks after the official results are announced, however, IEC officials say they would need more time to hold the runoff elections.

Foreign news correspondents in Kabul claim with the partial election results suggesting a runoff, Afghan security forces have been instructed to prepare for the second round which will be held end of next month.

The complete preliminary results were originally scheduled to be released on April 24. However, IEC postponed the announcement till April 26. The electoral body, following vote fraud allegations, insisted it needed more time to thoroughly assess the ballots to provide “an accurate and credible result”.

“The announcement was delayed to properly address a series of irregularities in some places,” stated IEC spokesperson Noor Mohammad Noor.

Amid long wait to know who will rule the country for the next five years, Afghans have high expectations of the country’s electoral body to ensure maximum transparency in vote tallying to retain public confidence in the process. The final official result of the election will be announced on May 14 after scrutinising all complaints, officials say.

Afghan sources say President Hamid Karzai wanted the leading candidates to strike a power-sharing deal to avoid the huge exercise of holding a runoff. However, Abdullah and Ghani vowed to opt for a second round. Ghani is reported to have said he wants to let the people give a clear mandate to their next leader.

The two leading candidates have also started lobbying to win the support of other candidates. The main focus is on Dr Zalmai Rassoul, believed to be Karzai’s choice for the top seat, who got third place with 11.1% of the votes so far.

Meanwhile, former warlord Abdul Rasul Sayyaf has secured 7% of the votes, Hizb-e-Islami’s (Hekmatyar group) Qutbuddin Hilal 2.8% and former governor Gul Agha Sherzai 1.6%.

Pakistan seeks enhanced ties

Pakistan has assured all leading candidates it would work closely with the new government to strengthen relationship with its neighbour.

Pakistan’s new ambassador in Kabul, Abrar Hussain, made courtesy calls on Abdullah, Ghani and Rassoul after the elections and expressed the desire for good relations between the two countries.

As part of Pakistan’s quest for a broader understanding with all political sides, Hussain also met senior leaders including Sayyaf and former president Sibghatullah Mojaddedi.

A source privy to the meetings told The Express Tribune that Abdullah and Ghani are in favour of a strong relationship with Pakistan and are looking towards enhanced economic cooperation.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2014.