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

Record ID: 1449827

  • Title: Afghanistan's Ghani wins slim majority in presidential vote preliminary results
  • Date: 22nd December 2019
  • Summary: Ghani welcomed the Taliban leader's commitment for peace talks during his Eid al-Fitr message. A message purportedly from reclusive Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar on July 15 appeared for the first time to signal approval for peace talks with the Afghan government, a week after milestone meetings between the two sides in Pakistan. It represented the first word in the name of Mullah Omar on the budding peace process that has deeply split the Afghan insurgents' leadership. Pakistan hosted the meeting in a tentative step towards ending more than 13 years of war in neighbouring Afghanistan. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - JULY 17, 2015) (REUTERS) GHANI GREETING OFFICIALS GHANI STANDING NEXT TO FORMER PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI GHANI STANDING BEFORE SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) AFGHAN PRESIDENT ASHRAF GHANI, SAYING: "I appreciate the announcement made by the leader of the Taliban Mullah Mohammad Omar who supported the peace talks as the only salutation for Afghanistan." Ghani praised the country's security forces on October 1 for retaking the strategic northern city of Kunduz from the Taliban. The once-quiet north of Afghanistan saw escalating violence in recent years as the insurgency spread, and swathes of Kunduz province have repeatedly come under siege this year. Yet the Taliban's pre-dawn assault on Kunduz three days previous caught the Afghan police and army by surprise, handing the militants arguably their biggest victory in 14 years of war. The capitulation may have consequences for President Ghani, whose first year in office has been clouded by political infighting and escalating violence around the country. Fighting continued in other parts of the city, the seizure of which represented a major victory for the insurgents and raised questions over whether NATO-trained Afghan forces were ready to go it alone now most foreign combat troops have left. KUNDUZ, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - OCTOBER 1, 2015) (REUTERS) CONVOY OF AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES DRIVING NEAR KUNDUZ AIRPORT AFTER RECAPTURING THE CITY FROM TALIBAN KHOJA GHAR, TAKHAR, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - OCTOBER 1, 2015) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) AFGHAN SECURITY PERSONNEL GATHERING MORE OF CONVOY OF AFGHAN FORCES ARRIVING IN KHOJA GHAR DISTRICT OF TAKHAR KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - OCTOBER 1, 2015) (REUTERS) GHANI WALKING TO PODIUM FOR A NEWS CONFERENCE GHANI SPEAKING
  • 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: LVA00BBB32NUV
  • 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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