Teams of Afghan presidential candidates join audit panel
5 Aug 2014 11:07 PM GMT
The process is a key step toward insuring a peaceful transfer of power and determining the successor to Hamid Karzai, the only president the country has known since the 2001 US-led invasion that ousted the Taliban.
Election commission spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said observers from the team of former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah also joined the audit. On Sunday, when the audit resumed after a holiday break, only representatives from former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai were on hand.
Preliminary results from the June 14 runoff showed Ahmadzai well ahead of Abdullah, but both sides alleged fraud.
The audit of the more than 8 million votes is likely to take weeks.
In other developments, the National Security Council the country’s top security body, chaired by Karzai accused neighboring Pakistan of fomenting instability across Afghanistan. A statement after the meeting claimed the Pakistani military maintains a presence among Afghan Taliban insurgents.
Election commission spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said observers from the team of former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah also joined the audit. On Sunday, when the audit resumed after a holiday break, only representatives from former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai were on hand.
Preliminary results from the June 14 runoff showed Ahmadzai well ahead of Abdullah, but both sides alleged fraud.
The audit of the more than 8 million votes is likely to take weeks.
In other developments, the National Security Council the country’s top security body, chaired by Karzai accused neighboring Pakistan of fomenting instability across Afghanistan. A statement after the meeting claimed the Pakistani military maintains a presence among Afghan Taliban insurgents.
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