DUSHANBE, September 22, Asia-Plus — The Afghan Independent Election Commission has officially named former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani as the new president of Afghanistan.
Former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani was named Afghanistan”s president-elect on Sunday after he signed a deal to share power with his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, ending months of turmoil over a disputed election that destabilized the country as most foreign troops prepare to leave.
In this agreement Ghani was made president and Abdullah is expected to take a new position known as the chief executive officer. Abdullah could also appoint someone else to the post.
Reuters reports that according to Afghan officials, Ashraf Ghani is expected to be sworn in as president on September 29.
Independent Election Commission Chairman Ahmad Yusuf Nouristani said a UN audit of the runoff election did not detect all of the flaws in the vote. But he said the commission had a duty to declare a winner of the election.
The two men embraced after the signing ceremony — broadcast live on Afghan television — after which Karzai spoke.
Karzai reportedly congratulated the two men and said he hoped Afghanistan would experience peace and prosperity.
The Obama administration has praised the power-sharing deal. A White House statement says the agreement will help bring “closure” to the country”s political crisis and restore “confidence in the way forward.”
Ballots were first cast in April and again in a June runoff, but no winner has been decided amid allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
The UN-sponsored audit of the millions of votes was carried out but the results not publicly announced.
Both Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah claimed to have won the election, and the United Nations and the United States have pushed for a “national unity government” to try to avoid violence and ethnic divisions.
One of Ghani”s first acts would be to sign the long-delayed security agreement as he has previously declared support for the pact to allow a small force of foreign troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014, Reuters reports.
