The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Wednesday said that the UN stands ready to work with the future administration in the South Asian country after Ashraf Ghani secured a second term as President.
“The UN stands ready to welcome and work with the future administration, while reiterating the importance of due respect given to Afghanistan’s diversity and to those Afghans who bravely turned out to vote, despite serious security constraints, in their commitment to an important democratic process,” TOLO News quoted the UNAMA as saying in a statement.
The UNAMA statement came a day after the Independent Election Commission announced that Ghani had secured a second term by garnering 50.64 per cent of the votes cast in the September 28, 2019, presidential election.
Earlier on Tuesday, The Taliban also rejected Ghani’s win, further putting into question a US peace plan that calls for a reduction in violence followed by a more permanent agreement expected to be signed Feb. 29, between Washington and the Taliban.
On Tuesday, election authorities said Ghani won 50.64% of the vote, or 923,592 ballots, while Abdullah received 39.52% or 720,841 ballots.
Abdullah’s campaign chief hinted at the use of force if the dispute could not be resolved. “We are out of the election process,” Fazal Ahmad Manawi said on Twitter. “The reasons for this lack of legitimacy is clear to all as much as the sun is.
Last week, Ghani voiced cautious optimism about a partial truce agreed between the Taliban and US and said that a further announcement was expected in the coming 10 days.
The US wants to reduce its military presence in Afghanistan, which currently numbers between 12,000 and 13,000, with President Donald Trump keen to make good on a promise to bring troops home after 18 years of war.
Earlier, the Afghan government disclosed a list of delegates for the peace negotiating team once the US and the Taliban finalize their peace deal.
Last year, in September, Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation had said that the US and Taliban are “at the threshold of an agreement” that would reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together and negotiate.
On December 19, Khalilzad also said that the US and Taliban were approaching an important stage in the Afghan peace process.
But US President Donald Trump called an abrupt halt to the process after an American was killed in a Taliban attack in Kabul.