Ghani sworn in as Afghan president, Abdullah holds parallel inauguration

KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was sworn in for a second term on Monday but his main rival refused to recognise the inauguration and held his own swearing-in ceremony as a rival president.

Both Ghani and former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah claim they are Afghanistan’s rightful leader following a disputed election last September. The stand-off threatens political chaos as both Afghan politicians have declared themselves president at rival inauguration ceremonies.

The electoral commission says incumbent Ashraf Ghani narrowly won September’s vote, but Abdullah Abdullah alleges the result is fraudulent. The rivals both held positions in the previous government.

Ghani held his inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Palace in the capital Kabul. The ceremony was disrupted by the sound of two rockets hitting the edge of the compound of the presidential palace compound in Kabul but he continued his speech.

Ghani said in his speech that the government he was forming would not include only members of his political camp though he would continue with the previous cabinet for two weeks.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, charge d’affaires of the US embassy to Afghanistan Ross Wilson, Nato commander Gen Scott Miller and ambassadors of European Union, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Germany and Norway were in attendance.

Ghani and Abdullah have been holding talks with Zalmay Khalilzad as he tries to secure a deal between the two camps. This comes as Afghanistan prepares to enter peace talks with the Taliban.

Abdullah held his ceremony a short distance away at Sapedar Palace, which he used as his office during his tenure as Afghanistan’s chief executive in the last government.

The ceremony went ahead despite his team earlier saying they would be prepared to cancel it, following the intervention of Khalilzad. The political showdown comes days after Abdullah escaped unharmed from an attack which saw at least 32 people killed.

It was the first major attack since the US and Taliban signed a deal last month, which required the Taliban will hold talks with the Afghan government.