Afghan president triumphs in election

KABUL－Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani has won a second term in office with 50.64 percent of the vote, according to a preliminary vote count announced on Sunday. That represents a tiny majority of the ballots cast three months ago. His opponents can still challenge those long-awaited results.

The chairperson of the Independent Election Commission, Hawa Alam Nuristani, told reporters on Sunday the unity government's incumbent chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, was Ghani's closest rival. Abdullah had secured 39.52 percent of the votes for president.

Abdullah's office released a statement saying the results were "not legitimate" and were "based on the fraudulent vote without considering the legal demands of the candidates".

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hizb-e-Islami party, won 3.85 percent of the votes.

The remaining 11 candidates had far fewer votes, with the fourth-place candidate winning less than 2 percent.

Ghani hailed the election announcement as a victory of the nation and pledged to "represent the whole nation".

"We will connect and unite all Afghans. We will end the crisis and all divisions by building a responsible government," he said.

If the results hold and Ghani remains in office, it could give him the authority he has been seeking to demand a leading role in peace talks with the Taliban.

Ghani and his government have been sidelined during the past year of direct talks between the US and the Taliban insurgents. Washington seeks to withdraw its combat troops and end 18 years of fighting in Afghanistan, America's longest war.

In November, the election commission tried to launch a ballot recount but Abdullah halted the attempt, saying he would not let his observers participate. He eventually allowed a recount to go forward earlier this month.

Thousands of Abdullah's supporters rallied in November against what they said was the presence of fake ballots.

The UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, said the commission "has an obligation to adjudicate any complaints it receives transparently and thoroughly so the election process may conclude in a credible manner" and that "all candidates have the chance to raise any concerns they may have."

AP/XINHUA