Abdullah Abdullah rejected the results, calling them a coup against the people’s vote.

“We don’t accept the results which were announced today and we consider this as a coup against people’s votes,” said spokesman for Dr Abdullah’s campaign, Mujib Rahman Rahimi.

A higher than expected turnout has fuelled suspicions of fraud on both sides. 8,000,000 votes were cast in the second round ballot – one million more than first round.

Mr Abdullah’s rejection sets the stage for a possible bloody stand-off between ethnic groups or even secession of parts of the fragile country, already deeply divided along tribal lines.

Mr Abdulla, son of a Pashtun father and a Tajik mother, draws much of his support from the Tajik minority in the north.

Meanwhile Mr Ghani has strong support from Pashtun tribes in the south and east.

Mr Ghani has ruled out a power-sharing deal which could help to diffuse ethnic tensions.

“We have not come here to form a coalition, we are here to serve the people, and our commitment is to defend the national interests, Mr Ghani said.

The Independent election commission’s chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani has warned the result could change.

“I call on both honourable candidates and their supporters to have restraint and calm. And I urge them to be patient until the final result is announced,” he said.

Mr Nuristani explained that what he called “technical problems” were unavoidable in such a big election.

“We can’t promise that no fraud has occurred during the voting process,” he said.

The United States’ State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki acknowledged allegations of fraud need to be treated seriously, to avoid inflaming tribal divisions.

“Our focus is on encouraging a full and thorough review of all reasonable allegations of irregularities. We think that’s essential to ensure the Afghan people to have confidence in the integrity of their electoral process,” she said.

The next president will lead Afghanistan at a pivotal time as US-led troops end their 13-year war against Taliban insurgents and the fragile economy struggles with declining international aid.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/afghan-votes-re-checked-amid-fraud-claims

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