KABUL: Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani appeared to have secured a second term on Sunday after election officials announced preliminary results from polls that were marred by low turnout.
Ghani’s apparent clean win, however, was unlikely to immediately quell the controversy swirling around the September 28 poll, with his top rival Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah vowing to contest the result.
READ MORE: Election results of Afghanistan expected next week, says official
Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) said Ghani had won 50.64 percent of the vote, easily besting Abdullah, who scored 39.52 percent, and enough to avoid a second-round runoff.
Candidates now have three days to file any complaints they may have before final results are announced, probably within a few weeks.
READ ALSO: Nine Afghan army killed during insider attack in Afghanistan
![Muslim pilgrims gather at the top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]](https://mmnews.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Mount-Arafat-350x250.jpg)
