Afghan presidential elections: Abdullah rejects preliminary results
Speaking at a gathering of his angry supporters in Kabul, Dr Abdullah announced his first formal reaction to the results that put his rival Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai ahead of him.
Abdullah had been in lead in the first round held on April 5, with 43.8% and Ashraf Ghani 32.9%.
However, according to the preliminary results announced on July 7, Ghani secured 56.44% and Abdullah bagged 43.56% votes.
The results announced yesterday were fraudulent, and we reject that announcement, Dr Abdullah said to this supporters in a speech which was aired live by several TV channels and monitored here.
"We will not accept a fraudulent result -- not today, not tomorrow, never."
"We don't accept the results of frauds. People of Afghanistan were waiting for the real results," Abdullah told his cheering supporters at a tent erected for the Loya Jirga.
Abdullah said US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State John Kerry both called him this morning, promising to help clean up the votes. He said Kerry is expected in Kabul on Friday.
He said the US has promised that they would stand beside the people of Afghanistan in the fight against fraud in the election, adding, “the international community also sacrificed their lives and financially supported Afghanistan, and we are thankful to them.”
Earlier, Abdullah's supporters removed and tore a portrait of outgoing President Hamid Karzai and replaced it with their leader. Abdullah, however, condemned the removal of Karzai’s photograph.
"Circles in the presidential palace, election commissions and Ashraf Ghani’s team were on the same page and announced results of fraud," Abdullah said amid slogans in his favour.
"We are proud of our clean votes, we are winners in both rounds," he claimed.
He said his team tried its best to separate clean votes from dirty votes, but his concerns were not given any heed.
"People of Afghanistan were waiting for the real result announcement."
"From today, we announce that the government elected only through clean votes will come to power," he said.
Abdullah said he cannot refuse the peoples' proposal to announce his parallel government, adding, "my supporters want him to announce his government today, and it's a legitimate call."
He said the people of Afghanistan had been asking him to announce his government.
"We won’t accept injustice, we came all the way and will go to our [destination] together," Abdullah said.
Dr Abdullah told the gathering, that without a doubt, he and his team are the winners of the Afghanistan election.
"We are proud, we respect the votes of the people, we were the winner," Abdullah told thousands of cheering supporters gathered in Kabul.
The election stand-off has raised fears of ethnic unrest and a return to the conflict between warlords that ravaged Afghanistan during the 1992 - 1996 civil war.
But Abdullah called for the country to remain unified as it faces a difficult transfer of power after Karzai's 13-year reign and as 50,000 US-led troops wind down their battle against Taliban insurgents.
"We don't want partition of Afghanistan, we want to preserve national unity and the dignity of Afghanistan," he said.
"We don't want civil war, we don't want a crisis. We want stability, national unity, not division."
COMMENTS (13)
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Abdullah Abdullah is one of the sane leaders of Afghanistan and much better than any contender. But Odds are always against Abdullah Abduallah because he is Tajik and because of the Talibans base of Pushtuns America would not like to ignite the Civil War. I feel confident that American Money and Lobbying played a very powerful role and they have given to Afghanistan an able leader Ashraf Ghani who is Honest, have vision and definitely can guide the country back to stability. In Afghnaistan elections Talibans Factor played an important role and definitely they were flawed.
This looks like another train wreck in the making...
If I was the US I would be taking ALL hardware out and storing it in Pakistan (to avoid another ISIS like situation)
Pakistan is the ONLY RELIABLE ALLY the US has...but does not realise
@Ali: @Raj - USA: In the first round there were 8 candidates and majority of them were pushtoons so the pushton's votes which constituete 60% of total were divided among 8 candidates. in the second round Dr Ashraf Ghni was the abvious choice for the majority Pustoon population nad the non-Pushtoon voted for Abdullah which hardly maks 40%.
@Raj - USA:
By simply stating USA with your name, you can not learn about democracy, not to mention how statistics are interpretted in Afghanistan? The Afghan Government have too many advisers from the State department but no one yet from the Taliban committee yet! Abdullah Abdullah is simply not a God damn democrat and does not understand that he is number 2 and not number 1: Mullah Omar will decideistics are read his fate, exile with the title of the foreign minster or as ambassador to the UNO?
Rex Minor
Abdullah must not accept these results if they are based on rigging and fraud. A fake democratic govt is worse than dictatorship and it doesn't mean dictatorship is better than real democracy. Only a real democratic govt can change the fate of any nation. You can find many examples in Pakistan.
Regarding IK/PTI case, I truly appreciate their stand and incourage they show after 2013 rigged election. It was a patriotic decion being made for the sake of Pakistan. Only true patriotic leaders can do that.
Of course they were rigged........but you must be bold enough to say WHO is doing the rigging.
Abdullah Abdullah: Always a bridesmaid, never the bride.
First he played second fiddle to Masood, then Karzai and now Ghani. Guess being a number two is his destiny.
Afghan election rules are defective.
Abdullah had been in lead in the first round held on April 5, with 43.8% and Ashraf Ghani 32.9%. Abdullah had 33% more votes than Ghani in the first round. This is a substantial margin and he should have been declared the winner and there should have been no run off elections.
However, according to the preliminary results announced on July 7, Ghani secured 56.44% and Abdullah bagged 43.56% votes. It looks like Abdulla retained the votes he got in the 1st round and Ghani not only retained his voters who voted for him but also won the votes of all voters who did not vote for him in the 1st round. This is very suspicious but, in the interests of the country Abdullah should concede defeat and back out. In return Ghani should accommodate Abdullah adequately and proportionately in his new government.
PTI like statement. Accepting defeat with dignity shows the maturity of a party within democratic norms. After all Pakistan and Afghanistan are third world countries where everyone wants to bring revolution and change on a piece of paper. Once they lose, people tell them their mandate has been stolen and they start making noise. So difficult to digest defeat because in their heart they do not have trust in democracy. Grow up Muslim countries please.
Atleast he is rejecting results immediately......unlike some other south asian politicians who realise such things a year after the elections!
Abdullal Abdullah is just a bad loser.
The party that appears to be losing rejects results? Welp, that was predictable.