afghanistan election Archives - Iran News Daily

Ashraf Ghani Sworn In for Second Term

reporter 1222 — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:01:24 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was sworn in for a second term on Monday as his rival Abdullah Abdullah held a parallel inauguration that could plunge the country deeper into crisis ahead of peace talks with the Taliban.

“I swear by the name of God that I shall obey and protect the holy religion of Islam, respect and supervise the implementation of the constitution”, Ashraf Ghani said at an oath-taking ceremony of his second term attended by hundreds of people, including visiting foreign dignitaries, diplomats, and senior political figures, AFP reported.

Afghan challenger Abdullah Abdullah inaugurated himself as president, minutes after the incumbent Ghani was sworn into office for a second term, deepening a political crisis that has stoked fears for upcoming peace talks with a strong Taliban.

Ghani was declared as the winner of the election held last September, but Abdullah, who disputed the vote, held a parallel ceremony surrounded by hundreds of supporters during which he vowed to “safeguard the independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity” of Afghanistan.

Two blasts were heard as Afghanistan’s two rival leaders held parallel presidential inaugurations in Kabul, underscoring the country’s woeful security ahead of talks with a resurgent Taliban.

Hundreds of people had assembled at two venues inside the presidential palace complex to watch the swearing-in ceremonies for Ghani and challenger Abdullah, when the blasts were heard, prompting some to flee.

“I have no bulletproof vest on, only my shirt, I will stay even if I have to sacrifice my head,” Ghani told the remaining crowd, as sirens sounded overhead.

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Afghanistan president won second term to run office

reporter 1222 — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 05:30:34 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Afghanistan election commission said President Ashraf Ghani has won a second term and will stay in office, earning 50.64% of a preliminary vote count announced Sunday, but his opponents can still challenge the results.

The Sept. 28 presidential poll results have been repeatedly delayed amid accusations of misconduct and technical problems with counting ballots.

Afghanistan President in office, Ashraf Ghani appears to have beaten out his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah, who serves as the country’s chief executive in a fragile national unity government, AP reported.

Candidates now have a few days to file any complaints before final results are announced, probably within weeks.

Abdullah’s office released a statement saying the results were “not legitimate.”

“We will never accept results based on the fraudulent vote without considering the legal demands of the candidates,” the statement said.

Afghanistan election commission tried to launch a ballot recount in November but Abdullah halted the attempt, saying he would not let his observers participate. He eventually allowed a recount to go forward earlier this month.

Thousands of Abdullah’s supporters had rallied in November against what they said was the presence of fake ballots. The controversial recount seemed set to favor Ghani.

Hawa Alam Nuristani, the head of the Independent Election Commission, announced the preliminary results at a press conference in Kabul.

She did not specify when the final results will be given. The preliminary vote count was originally set to be announced Oct. 17, and the final tally on Nov. 7.

There also will not be any decision on whether the second round of voting is needed until the final results are out, and Ghani’s lead of over 50% is secure. Afghanistan election laws say a runoff must take place if no candidate obtains over 50% of the votes.

The preliminary results found Ghani won 923,868 votes — 50.64% — while Abdullah won 720,990 votes, according to Nuristani.

She did not give a specific percentage for Abdullah during the press conference in the capital, Kabul, but he appeared to have received 39.52%.

Preliminary results were originally due October 19 but were repeatedly delayed amid technical issues and allegations of fraud from various candidates, particularly Abdullah.

Observers and candidates have blasted the IEC over its handling of the count and its repeated disregard of the electoral calendar.

Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN secretary general’s special representative for Afghanistan, said the electoral commission “has an obligation to adjudicate any complaints it receives transparently and thoroughly so the election process may conclude in a credible manner.”

“All candidates have the chance to raise any concerns they may have,” he said in a statement.

The 2014 presidential election was mired in accusations of widespread fraud. That led the US to cobble together a unity government between Ghani and Abdullah, the two leading contenders. Their partnership has been fraught with bickering and rifts.

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Ashraf Ghani Ahead in Afghan Election

reporter 1222 — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 10:32:26 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Afghanistan’s incumbent President, Ashraf Ghani won a slim majority of votes in a September 28 election based on what delayed preliminary results showed on Sunday.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said the total turnout in the presidential election, which was marred by allegations of massive fraud, was 1.9 million with Ashraf Ghani securing 50.64%, enough to win the first round of the election results, according to Reuters.

IEC head Hawa Alam Nuristani said in a press conference in Kabul that outcome could change after final results and was subject to a review by the election complaints commission.

If a review showed Ghani’s vote falling below 50% and no other candidate with a majority, the second round of voting would be held, she said.

Ghani’s top challenger Abdullah Abdullah, who currently shares power with him in an awkward unity government, finished second with 39.52% of the vote, according to tally announced by the IEC.

In a statement on Sunday, Abdullah’s office said he did not accept the preliminary results and that the commission had failed to tackle election fraud.

“The result that stands is based on fraud and without considering our legitimate demands, will never be accepted,” the statement said.

With 9.7 million registered voters, according to IEC, Afghanistan’s 1.9 million voter turnout for the presidential election was low.

Last month, IEC began recounting thousands of votes due to what it described as discrepancies in its system. Abdullah’s side objected to the recount and called it an attempt to add more votes in favor of Ghani. IEC dismissed those allegations.

In protest, Abdullah’s supporters blocked IEC offices in seven northern provinces to prevent the recount, creating delays in the results announcement.

Last week, Abdullah Abdullah allowed the recount but warned that he would not accept a tainted result.

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Results of Afghanistan election rejected by Abdullah

reporter 1222 — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 09:02:19 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Minutes after the Independent Election Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan announced the preliminary election results, Abdullah Abdullah’s campaign in a statement called the results “fraudulent” and accused the IEC of supporting Ghani.

Much-awaited and long-delayed preliminary results for the landmark presidential elections in Afghanistan were announced on Sunday.

Afghanistan Election Commission announced the 2019 presidential election preliminary results, Ashraf Ghani has secured the majority of votes, according to Tolo News.

He has won 50.64% and his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, with 39.5%.

Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah rejected the initial election results and has assured his supporters to defend from their votes.

Afghanistan Presidential Election was held on September 28th. There were high concerns about the election due to ongoing conflicts as the Taliban had threaded the people not to take part in the vote casting. However, a large number of people have braved the challenges and cast their votes to preserve the rule of democracy in the country.

Moreover, Ghani’s top competitor, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah along with a number of other candidates had opposed the votes’ recounting process- an implementation was planned by the IEC to audit the casted votes.

His supporters have staged widespread protests in several provinces as they had blocked the IEC’s centers in seven Northern provinces. However, Abdullah in a press conference, later on, has called on his supporters to allow the commission to implement the process.

But he had warned that his team would not accept any fraudulence results, accusing the IEC and Ghani of committing systematic fraud in the election.

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UN: 85 civilians killed in attacks targeting Afghan election

reporter 1222 — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 05:28:16 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The UN released on Tuesday a special report that describes the severe toll of election-related violence on Afghanistan’s civilians, mainly from the Taliban’s campaign targeting its presidential election last month.

Afghanistan presidential election went on Sept. 28 despite the terrorists’ threats and violence. However, the polling was marred by widespread misconduct and accusations of fraud — as well as controversy over what appeared to be low turnout and claims from a lead contender, Abdullah Abdullah, that he had won the vote, AP reported.

The report said that attacks aiming to disrupt the electoral process killed 85 people and wounded 373 others across the country. The number includes 277 civilian casualties, 28 killed of whom were killed on the polling day.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in the report that more than one-third of civilian casualties were children.

The report not only documents the casualties caused by the Taliban’s violent offensive to disrupt Afghan election, but also highlights a pattern of abductions, threats, intimidation and harassment carried out by the terrorists against civilians leading up to and during the elections.

“These attacks, along with public statements made by the Taliban, revealed a deliberate campaign intended to undermine the electoral process and deprive Afghan citizens of their right to participate in this important political process, freely and without fear,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN secretary general’s special representative for Afghanistan. “Many Afghan people, however, defied the threats and cast their votes.”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani pushed to hold the controversial vote despite the abrupt collapse in the US-Taliban peace talks earlier in September. The election’s results have also been delayed, further deepening the political uncertainty gripping the country.

Hawa Alam Nuristani, head of the Independent Election Commission, said that the goal is to announce the preliminary results by a deadline of Oct.19.

The UN also urged the electoral commission safeguard and properly complete Afghan election process.

Preliminary figures from the UN indicated that overall civilian casualties were significantly lower in 2019 as compared to the 2018 parliamentary elections — both in the period leading up to, and on the polling day.

However, civilian casualties on September’s voting day were higher than those on voting day in the 2014 presidential election, which went into a second round.

The report blamed more than 80% of all election-related civilian casualties on Taliban attacks, which it said were responsible for an even higher 95% of casualties on the day of polling.

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Abdullah Abdullah won Afghanisan Presidency; Breaking News

reporter 1222 — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 11:29:04 +0000

Iran News reports; In a recent claim, Abdullah Abdullah has announced he has won the election and he is chosen by Afghanistan people as the president of the country.

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Afghanistan Presidential Election; Over 1mln Votes Counted

reporter 1222 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 10:27:08 +0000

Tehran (Irannews) – More than 1 million votes have been counted as tallying in Afghanistan Presidential Election continues, Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced Sunday.

“According to initial figures, 1,051,998 voters cast their votes in 2,597 polling centers out of 4,905 polling centers where election materials were dispatched,” the IEC said in a statement, Xinhua news agency covers Afghanistan presidential election.

The statement added that the number of voters in 2,308 remaining centers and exact number of the election turnout will be shared with media soon.

The IEC initially planned to hold polls in 5,373 centers across the country, but many polling sites did not open due to security threats and Taliban attacks.

Over 9.4 million eligible voters registered to cast their votes during the polling. However, thousands of voters were unable to vote as election workers could not find their names in voters’ registration lists and biometric verification devices.

Fourteen out of the 18 registered hopefuls contested for the presidency with a five-year term and among the candidates are sitting President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

Preliminary results of the poll will be announced on Oct. 19 and the final results are expected on Nov. 7, according to the election timetable.

Saturday voting in Kabul has been extended for two more hours.

At least five bombs went off in Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad on Saturday killing one and wounding several others, media reports said, Afghanistan Presidential Elections got underway across the country yesterday.

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