Sunday Times 2
Afghan election results confirm Abdullah-Ghani run-off
View(s):KABUL, (AFP) – Afghanistan’s election will go to a run-off vote between former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani, as the country enters a new era without NATO combat troops.
The head-to-head election, scheduled for June 14, will choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power.
Whoever wins will have to oversee the fight against a resilient Taliban insurgency as 51,000 US-led troops depart this year, as well as try to strengthen an economy reliant on declining aid money.
“We were number one and we will be number one,” Abdullah, a trained ophthalmologist and former anti-Taliban fighter, told supporters.
“The success of our team, which is the bigger and more inclusive team, is ensured by the will of the people. I am sure that millions of people will participate in the election.” Abdullah secured 45 percent of the April 5 vote, with Ghani on 31.6 percent, according to the final results, which came after weeks of deliberation over fraud allegations.
“We accept the result of the first round,” Ghani, a former US-based academic, told supporters. “We are fully prepared to go to this brave nation and see who they trust and give authority to.” The 2009 election, when Karzai beat Abdullah, was marred by rigging in a chaotic process that shook confidence in the multinational effort to develop the country after the Taliban were ousted 13 years ago.