KABUL – Despite pulling off a safer presidential election than expected, Afghanistan looks for a prolonged period of political uncertainty, with two front-runners claiming victory even before ballots are tallied.
The situation echoed 2014, when candidates Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah alleged massive fraud by each other, forcing the United States to broker a “power-sharing arrangement” that made Ghani president.
Both men, front-runners again, said they would not accept a similar arrangement.
Results are expected on Oct. 19. If neither man wins over half the votes, a runoff would take place.
Around 4,500 complaints were filed since the Sept. 28 election. The Independent Election Commission said on Sunday some biometric verification machines were lost.
Turnout was an estimated 2.6-million votes, about one-quarter of eligible voters, following Taliban’s threats against voting stations.(Reuters)
