Afghanistan's election commission said President Ashraf Ghani, seen here on June 17, 2019, has won a second term, earning 50.64% of a preliminary vote count announced Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, but his opponents can still challenge the result.Matt Dunham/The Associated Press
Afghanistan’s incumbent President Ashraf Ghani won a slim majority of votes in a Sept. 28 election, delayed preliminary results showed on Sunday, after a poll that plunged the country into political crisis and was marred by allegations of fraud.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said the total turnout in the presidential election was more than 1.8 million with Mr. Ghani securing 50.64 per cent – enough to win the first round of voting – beating his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, who currently shares power with Mr. Ghani in a unity government.
In a television speech on Sunday, Mr. Ghani welcomed the result and said the country was now on the right path toward prosperity and development.
“With the announcement, we are moving now from darkness to light and from uncertainty to a bright future,” Mr. Ghani told a jubilant crowd gathered at the presidential palace in Kabul.
The head of the IEC, Hawa Alam Nuristani, told a news conference in Kabul earlier that the outcome could change after final results and was still subject to a review by the election complaints’ commission.
If a review showed Mr. Ghani’s vote falling below 50 per cent and no other candidate with a majority, a second round of voting would be held, she said.
According to the tally released by the IEC on Sunday, the total turnout was 1,824,401, with Mr. Ghani winning 923,868 votes and Mr. Abdullah finishing in second with 39.5 per cent and 720,099 votes.
The United States, Afghanistan’s biggest donor, reacted cautiously to the result.
“It is important for Afghans to remember: These results are preliminary. Many steps remain before final election results are certified, to ensure the Afghan people have confidence in the results,” U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass said in a post on Twitter.
Mr. Abdullah’s office said in a statement that 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.
LOW TURNOUT
With 9.7 million registered voters, according to the IEC, turnout was a record low for an Afghan presidential election.
Last month, the IEC began recounting thousands of votes owing to what it described as discrepancies in its system. Mr. Abdullah’s side objected to the recount and called it an attempt to add more votes in favour of Mr. Ghani. The IEC dismissed those allegations.
In protest, Mr. Abdullah’s supporters blocked IEC offices in seven northern provinces to prevent the recount, creating delays in the results’ announcement.
Earlier this month, Mr. Abdullah allowed the recount but warned he would not accept a tainted result.
The situation echoes 2014, when both Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah alleged massive fraud by the other, forcing the U.S. to broker an awkward power-sharing arrangement that made Mr. Ghani President and Mr. Abdullah his Chief Executive.
Aides close to Mr. Ghani, a Western-educated former World Bank official, said the incumbent was not ready for another power-sharing deal with Mr. Abdullah, a former medical doctor and three-time contender for the presidency.
Without a unifying leader accepted by all sides, Afghanistan could split further along tribal and ethnic lines.
The election result also comes at a critical time for Afghanistan as the United States is showing more interest in negotiating a peace settlement with the Taliban to end a war that has dragged on for more than 18 years.
Eighty-five civilians were killed and more than 370 wounded in militant attacks and violence on the day of the election, the UN said last month, and the country plunged into chaos with both Mr. Ghani’s and Mr. Abdullah’s camps claiming victory before ballots had been tallied.
The UN report accused the Taliban of deliberate attacks against civilians on election day.
Election-result announcements in Afghanistan are typically followed by violent protests from supporters of losing candidates.
Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.