The long-delayed results of the Afghan presidential elections have been released. President Ashraf Ghani has secured a second five year term. There has been a mixed reaction as ordinary Afghans would now seek an end to the conflict that has been ongoing in the war-ravaged nation.
A new political crisis is on the horizons as Ghani’s opponent and chief executive Abdullah Abdullah seeks to challenge the results citing fraud. The entire country was on a standstill for the last three months anticipating the results to be delayed over allegations of fraud and protests from candidates.
Voter turnout this year was at its lowest suggesting the elections failed to secure interest among the battered Afghan citizens. The low turnout is also due to safety concerns as the Taliban threatened to attack polling stations and rallies. Afghans were not enthusiastic over the elections and are more concerned about the peace, rising unemployment and extreme poverty in the country.
During the last presidential elections, these front-runners were embroiled in a similar controversy which led to months of political uncertainty. The US was forced to mediate and broker a power-sharing deal. However, it seems Ghani would be unwilling to share power with Abdullah this time around and the crises could worsen.
The results come amid ongoing negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and United States. President Trump is expected to announce a withdrawal of 4000 troops from Afghanistan. The Taliban are refusing to give assurances to bring a ceasefire and put an end to hostilities leading to a delay in pulling out the troops.
There has been an intense fear of violence as thousands of Afghan civilians have been killed or wounded this year. Most of the casualties were caused by government and foreign troops rather than militant organisations. Ghani will now lead a country devastated by years of war even though has had no role in the peace negotiations as the Taliban have refused to deal with the Afghan government.
Afghanistan could split even further along tribal and ethnic lines without a unifying leader. Afghans need peace and harmony as they move forward to a post-war nation. The US is close to negotiating a peace settlement which cannot be disrupted by internal political crisis. Afghans need to decide their own future and find solutions to their own problems.
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