KABUL, Afghanistan
At a heated gathering of his supporters in Kabul on Tuesday, Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah rejected preliminary election results and hinted at the formation of a parallel government in coming days.
Abdullah rejected the "fraudulent" preliminary results released by Afghanistan's election commission on Monday, which showed his rival Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai had won with 56 percent of vote in the second round run-off.
At the Loya Jirga hall, his supporters tore apart posters of outgoing President Hamid Karzai and replaced them with a photo of Abdullah inscribed with the slogan "Afghan's elected president."
Supporters chanted “Death to Karzai,” “Death to Election commissions,” “Death to Ashraf Ghani,” “Long live elected president Dr. Abdullah Abdullah” and “long live Mujahideen.”
"We are the winners of this round of elections, without any doubt," he said, stopping short of explicitly declaring a parallel government, despite earlier reports. "We don't want civil war, we don't want a crisis."
Abdullah repeatedly assured his supporters that a decision will be announced in coming days after consultation with "friends."
“Our people have been waiting for so long that we will announce our government,” he said. “We will announce our government very soon.”
Several influential figures, including governors, district leaders, mayors and warlords, have publicly stated support for an alternative government.
The governor of Northern Balkh province Atta Mohammad Noor wrote on his official webpage that results announced by the Independent Election Commission had paved the way for a parallel government.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed grave concern over reports of protests in Afghanistan and suggestions of a parallel government, adding there was no justifiable recourse to violence.
“I have noted reports of protests in Afghanistan and of suggestions of a 'parallel government' with the gravest concern,” Kerry said in a statement, adding that the U.S. expects Afghan electoral institutions to thoroughly investigate all reasonable allegations of voting irregularities.
www.aa.com.tr/en
