Abdullah Abdullah, one of two contenders for Afghanistan’s presidency, on Monday said that he will not accept the expected outcome of the election’s second round and that talks with his opponent to form a national unity Government are deadlocked.
Abdullah said he believes he won both times that Afghans voted this year — in April and again in a July runoff — and he accused election authorities of giving the win to his opponent, former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
The country’s election commission is expected to announce the second-round results later this week following a weekslong audit process carried out to weed out the many fraudulent ballots cast.
“We were the winners of the election,” said Abdullah, who appeared uncomfortably and possibly tired as he spoke behind a wooden podium.
“We are the winners of the election based on the real vote of the people.” The US has been pressing Abdullah and Ghani Ahmadzai to form a national unity Government.