Kerry brokers peace between Afghan prez candidates
John Kerry, who had rushed to Kabul after the stalemate, said Saturday: "Make no mistake. These will be the first steps of what will obviously be a hard, difficult process and we will be working hand in hand with both candidates....In keeping with each of the candidate's request, this audit will be conducted with the highest international standards."
Kerry arrived in Kabul to see the end of a stalemate over a disputed runoff on June 14 and ensure a peaceful transition of power as President Hamid Karzai is set to step down after being in power for nearly a decade.
The standoff occurred when former Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani claimed victory Monday as the poll results showed that he has garnered 56.4% of the vote.
Ghani's political opponent, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, rejected the result and alleged electoral fraud, declaring himself a victor.
With both now agreeing to the proposal of an audit of votes, the election of the president will be delayed.
"Both candidates have committed to participate in and abide by the results of the largest and most comprehensive audit; every single ballot that was cast will be audited," Kerry said.
"This is the strongest possible signal by both candidates of the desire to restore legitimacy to the process," he added.
Earlier amid charges of fraud in the Presidential elections in Afghanistan that led to a crisis, India on Saturday said it counts on the wisdom of Afghan people, its government and its election machinery for smooth completion of polls in the war-ravaged country.
In response to a media question on Presidential elections in Afghanistan, which has led to a political crisis over charges of fraud, the Official Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs in India said: "We count on the wisdom of the Afghan people, the Government and the election machinery of Afghanistan and, above all, the two candidates to find an amicable solution for smooth completion of the election process in Afghanistan’s larger interest."
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