Afghanistan's Ghani wins slim majority in presidential vote preliminary results

Record ID: 1449824

  • Title: Afghanistan's Ghani wins slim majority in presidential vote preliminary results
  • Date: 22nd December 2019
  • Summary: ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GHANI DELIVERING SPEECH BEHIND PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Pashto) AFGHAN PRESIDENT, ASHRAF GHANI; SAYING: "This year the armed Taliban said yes to the government's call for peace and announced a ceasefire during the Eid days. We hope that the ceasefire will continue, and we will witness no bloodshed anymore in the country." AFGHAN OFFICIALS CLAPPING/GHANI HUGGING AND SHAKING HANDS WITH OFFICIALS U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, promised support for President Ashraf Ghani's bid to start peace talks with the Taliban and repeated the United States' commitment to take part. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - JULY 9, 2018) (REUTERS) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO AND AFGHAN PRESIDENT ASHRAF GHANI WALKING IN FOR JOINT NEWS CONFERENCE REPORTER ASKING QUESTION OFFICIAL SEATED VARIOUS OF POMPEO AND GHANI AT NEWS CONFERENCE Ghani entered the 2019 presidential race after forging an alliance with a staunch critic to challenge his former governing partners at a time when the Taliban shut him out of talks to end more than 17 years of war. Talks between the United States and the Taliban on pulling out troops have also collapsed. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - JANUARY 20, 2019) (REUTERS) AFGHAN PRESIDENT ASHRAF GHANI AND HIS VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TAKING SEATS TO REGISTER FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AT AFGHAN INDEPENDENT ELECTION COMMISSION GHANI AND HIS VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES SEATED VARIOUS OF GHANI REGISTERING AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE GHANI SUPPORTERS WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) AFGHAN PRESIDENT, ASHRAF GHANI, SAYING: "Peace offers for the first time come from my address. This team is committed to peace and we will bring peace to the country." GHANI'S WIFE AND VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES APPLAUDING Ghani met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. MUNICH, GERMANY (FILE - FEBRUARY 16, 2019) (REUTERS) AFGHAN PRESIDENT ASHRAF GHANI AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL SHAKING HANDS ON THE SIDELINES OF THE MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE GHANI AND MERKEL LEAVING THE ROOM
  • Embargoed: 5th January 2020 10:03
  • Keywords: Ashraf Ghani preliminary results presidential election slim majority
  • Location: HERAT, KABUL, KUNDUZ, KHOJA GHAR, AFGHANISTAN / BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM/ WASHINGTON D.C., U.S. / RAWALPINDI, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN/ MUNICH, GERMANY / BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN
  • City: HERAT, KABUL, KUNDUZ, KHOJA GHAR, AFGHANISTAN / BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM/ WASHINGTON D.C., U.S. / RAWALPINDI, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN/ MUNICH, GERMANY / BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Reuters ID: LVA00GBB32NUV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Afghanistan's incumbent President, Ashraf Ghani, won a slim majority of votes in a Sept. 28 election, delayed preliminary results showed on Sunday (December 22) in a poll that plunged the country into political uncertainty.
    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 Ghani securing 50.64%, enough to win the first round of voting.
    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, a 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.
    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 favour of Ghani. IEC dismissed those allegations.
    With 9.7 million registered voters, according to IEC, Afghanistan's 1.9 million voter turnout for the presidential election was low.
    (Production: Masako Iijima)
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