Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in a letter on Thursday asked the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, for clarification about the EU’s "congratulation of President Ghani."
Abdullah, tweeting about the letter, said: "I requested clarification. Reminding our international friends: Systemic fraud and serious electoral irregularities at the behest of a rival team produced results that are illegal and unacceptable to most Afghans."
"As the rightful winners, we decided to form an inclusive government and engage all sides to aim for a just and cohesive outcome. We also ask our international friends to remain impartial, adhere to their principled positions and respect a fair and legal Afghan process and results," Abdullah tweeted.
In the letter, Abdullah said the EU representative’s position on the Afghan election result is "unprincipled," and it "ignores the principles of the EU in defending democracy and the transparency of elections."
Abdullah said to Borrell: "You have congratulated a fraudulent team."
Borrell called president Ashraf Ghani "to congratulate him on the outcome of the electoral process," a press release issued from the EU in Brussels said on Wednesday.
"EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, called the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, today to congratulate him on the outcome of the electoral process," the press release read.
According to the press release, Josep Borrell welcomed the fact that months of intensive verification and an appeal process engaging all interested parties had come to an end.
The press release states that the EU therefore takes good note of the final results of the electoral process.
The European Union looks forward to continuing the work with the new administration under President Ghani, says the press release.
On Tuesday, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced President Ashraf Ghani as winner of Afghanistan’s presidential election, but hours after the announcement Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah announced the formation of a separate "inclusive government" and declared his "victory" in the polls.
The results of the election, according to the IEC, indicated that President Ashraf Ghani has the highest count with 50.6% of the total amount with 923,592 votes, while Abdullah has 39.52% of the total amount, with 720,841 votes, according to the IEC.
IEC chairperson Hawa Alam Nuristani announced Mohammad Ashraf Ghani as the "elected president of Afghanistan" with 50.6%.
SOURCE: Tolonews
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/14176
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