Speaking at a press conference today, Thursday 26, December, Mohammad Karim Khalili, a key supporter of stability and partnership presidential ticket—led by Abdullah Abdullah, pressed the Independent Election Complaints Commission (IECC) to recount auditable votes and ensure transparency of the 2019 presidential vote. “We call on the IECC to fulfil its national and Islamic responsibility,” Mr. Khalili said.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced the already delayed preliminary results of the 2019 presidential elections on Sunday, December 22. Hawa Alam Nuristani, the chairwoman of the IEC, declared Mohammad Ashraf Ghani as winner of the preliminary results. According to preliminary results, Mr. Ghani has won 923,868 votes, 50.62 percent of the total votes.
“The Independent Election Commission announced the preliminary results in a very terrible and scandalous way. The preliminary results are not acceptable for us, for the political parties, for the presidential candidates, and for the people of Afghanistan,” Khalili said.
Mohammad Karim Khalili, who two terms has served as second vice of president of Afghanistan, leads a fraction of Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan.
He said the people of Afghanistan will stand for the gains achieved in the last 18 years and will not let the IECC to approve what the IEC has announced in the preliminary results announcement.
The people of Afghanistan are standing on a cross road; burial of democracy or resist against election fraud, Mr. Khalili said. He, however, underlined that the people would stand for democracy and protect the gains achieved in the 18 years.
The preliminary results of the 2019 presidential election was scheduled to come out by October 19, 2019. But disputes over vote recount led to a controversial and violent delay. Three major presidential tickets—led by the Abdullah Abdullah, Rahmatullah Nabil and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar voiced concerns over massive vote manipulation in favor of the incumbent president Ashraf Ghani, something both Mr. Ghani and the IEC denied.
According to official results announced by the country’s election commission, Mr. Abdullah—who is the main rival of Mr. Ghani—has won 39.5 percent of the votes.
This came while yesterday, Amrullah Saleh, a running mate of Ashraf Ghani, speaking at press conference, reiterated that the state builder ticket has won majority of votes—something around 55 percent of the total votes in the 2019 elections.
The long-delayed 2019 Afghan presidential elections took place against a Taliban campaign of violence with an estimated USD 207 million cost.
The Afghan presidential elections, though disputed it may be, is the only way for power sharing in a war torn country where all ethnic groups are seeking to have a share in power.
