The US peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, tweeted on Wednesday that the Afghan leaders "should ensure that the new government is inclusive and reflects the aspirations of all Afghans.”
“As the electoral process has concluded, President Ghani, as the declared winner, and other leaders should ensure that the new government is inclusive and reflects the aspirations of all Afghans,” Khalilzad noted.
He also said that the Afghan Foreign Ministry announced the postponement of presidential inauguration ceremony, adding: “I welcome President Ghani’s decision to postpone the event until March 9.”
“This will allow time for necessary consultations so that the best interests of Afghanistan and its people are reflected and preserved by the new government,” he added.
Following Khalilzad's announcement, the Presidential Palace also announced the postponement of the inauguration ceremony, according to TOLONews.
Also on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of State issued a release reacting to the Afghan Independent Election Commission's announcement of the final election results of the Afghan poll and called for a focus on peace rather than an engagement with electoral politics.
The statement reads that the United States notes the announcement of the presidential elections in Afghanistan “in favor of President Ashraf Ghani” and that it expects the concerns about the election process to be “handled in accordance with constitutional and legal procedures.”
The statement referred to the ongoing rift between President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah over the final results of the polls. Abdullah also claims victory and has vowed to form his own “inclusive government.”
Over the last several days, Abdullah, rejecting the claim of victory by Ghani, reportedly barred electoral officials from traveling out of the country and nominated officials and governors in two provinces in the north of the country, Sar-e-Pul and Jawzjan. “Our team is the winner of the election based on clean votes, and we announce our victory and the formation of an inclusive government,” Abdullah said. He also described the election outcome as “national treason,” “illegal,” and “a coup against democracy.”
Reportedly, Abdullah is even willing to take an oath of office as president of his parallel government.
