Kerry solution: Feuding Afghan presidential candidates agree to complete audit of votes
After two days of frantic negotiations, Kerry announced on Saturday evening that both Presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani, had agreed to the largest most possible audit of votes.
"Both candidates have committed to participate in and stand by the results of the largest most possible audit. Every single ballot that was cast will be audited, all eight million," Kerry said.
Kerry was flanked by Dr Abdullah and Dr Ghani at the UN compound in Kabul, who also said they have agreed with the deal, thanking Kerry for helping them.
"The audit will be carried out in Kabul and will begin in 24 hours. It will start in the ballot boxes located in Kabul," the US Secretary of State said. The press conference was aired live by all major Afghan TV channels and monitored here.
Kerry said the UN mission in Kabul has asked the President to postpone the inaugural of new president. The transfer of power was scheduled on August 2.
Kerry had flown into Kabul late on Friday to mediate an end to the political crisis in Afghanistan, warning that the bitter dispute over presidential polls threatened the country’s future.
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This shows the competency of Afghan politicians. They need US to tell them how to resolve their disputes. Seriously, is world going to be safe in the hands of Abdullah Abdullah or Ashraf Ghani?
For Afghanistan you need a strong Afghan central force which shouldn't be backed by US, Saudis or Indians or Russians, and they should take the whole of Afghanistan. Taliban are obviously not the solution, so we need broad based government who can see beyond ethnicity.
I think Jadrans should form their strong army and push all the way from North to South and East to West of Afghanistan.
@KK kool just like IK and Nawaz have reached a final decision. shame on you. seems to me jealous.
KK Cool has a point. Every nation must have the ability to solve its internal problems on its own. It is a pity we third world countries cannot. Fourteen months have passed after our 2013 elections. All parties unanimously agree they were rigged. We have not made any progress. Quite the contrary. We seem to be headed towards a collision course.
Shame on Afghanis. Someone outsider has to fly in for such a decision. They could have reached same decision without foreign intervention.
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani are most highly educated and experienced leaders with proven track record of govt services. They are the only two real leaders who contested elections and one of them is certain to become president. Comparing IK and his election results with these two leaders is apples and balls. With almost no presence in Sindh and Baluchistan how can IK become an elected leader no matter how many times the votes are counted? IK himself has accepted the results and occupied the seats he won for over a year. His only demand has been recounting in a handful of seats not the whole elections. Dr. Abdullah did not accept the results even before they were announced. This would have been the second time in a row that Dr. Abdullah was going to be denied the victory and the whole world did not believe the results announced. Looks like both leaders are going to form a national govt as like Pakistan Afghanistan is also not one homogeneous country but two countries at least.
It looks like that Afghanistan is on the track of a democratic state and soon will be a strong democracy. In fact, democracy was in their blood as they already had democratic institutions working at the village level i.e. Jirga system. But they just needed a direction which American provided them. I am happy for you brothers, go ahead.
Time for Imran Khan to do the same thing Abdullah Abdullah did in Afghanistan.
Zindabad Abdullah Abdullah Zindabad Imran Khan
Pakistan should also opt for similar verification in respect of 2013 elections. Only those who manipulated election results have the reason to resist this suggestion. At least, our democratic system should be more open to verification as compared to Afghanistan.