Abdullah Abdullah destabilizing democracy?

[HalloIsBack]

We Have Made an Agreement, Not a Deal: Abdullah


17 Jul, 2014
Written By Sharif Amiry



Appearing in a press conference for the first time since the resolution of the election deadlock, presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah revealed behind the curtain discussions with opponent Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai.
“Both sides have agreed that regardless of the final results, it is a win-win situation,” Abdullah said. "Vote audits must take place transparently and with the observation of representatives from both campaign teams. Waheed Omer will be our representative."

Creation of the "national unity government" is still one of the most important topics of discussion between the candidates.
“What we have agreed on is a commitment to shared principles regarding the creation of a national unity government," Abdullah asserted. "We reject any claims regarding making a deal."

Moreover, Abdullah stated that the spirit of cooperation between the two candidates is much better, emphasizing that transparency is among his key demands.

“Our observers will work closely in provinces and the capital to ensure transparency this time," Abdullah added. "There is a better spirit between us [the campaign teams] and we would like to keep it up."

People are optimistic about the election results as candidates make truce after the prolonged electoral tensions. One of the most important topics of discussion between the two campaign candidates has been the shift from the country's presidential system to a parliamentarian one.
On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 2:14 PM, Faridullah Sahil <Faridullah.Sahil@mobygroup.com> wrote:
Abdullah: We have agreed not dealt

Both candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai had several hours of technical and political discussions in the past few days.
Appearing in first press conference after end of election deadlock, presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah revealed behind the curtain discussion.

“Both sides have agreed that after announcement of final results, it will be a win, win situation, not loss! Audit must take place very transparently, representatives from both campaign teams will observe commission work, who will be Waheed Omer from our side” says Abdullah.

Creation of a national unity government is still among the important topics discussed by the presidential candidates.

“What we have agreed on is commitment to shared principles on creation of a national unity government, we reject any claims regarding deals” says Abdullah.

Transparency is among the most important demands of Abdullah Abdullah, adding that in contrary with the past, there is better spirit between him and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.

“Our observers will work closely in provinces and capital this time, hoping that transparency will be kept this time. I would like to add that now there is better spirit between us, we would like to improve and develop this sprit and keep it that way” adds Abdullah.

The first meeting was in Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai’s house, but Dr. Abdullah is to host Dr. Ghani for the second meeting.

After agreement among presidential candidates, people now have a better perspective in regards to elections. It is said that, holding of Loya Jirga to change Afghanistan from presidential to parliamentarian system, are among the important decisions between the two teams.

http://www.tolonews.com/elections2014/we-have-made-agreement-not-deal-abdullah

[HalloIsBack]

Afghan election vote audit suspended following disagreements

By Ghanizada - Sun Jul 20, 12:16 pm

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According to reports, the audit of presidential votes have been halted due to misunderstandings between the electoral teams of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
The audit process was suspended on Saturday evening and the process has still not started.
Preliminary reports suggest the audit was suspended after Abdullah’s team urged to disqualify ballot boxes which have over 600 votes.
However, Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai’s team opposed to the request by Dr. Abdullah’s team.
There are also reports that Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai’s observers have abandoned the place where vote audit was conducted, and efforts have been put in place to resume the audit process.
In the meantime, Noor Mohammad Noor, spokesman for the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan (IEC), told reporters that the audit process has been halted temporarily due to technical issues in audit process.
More details to follow..

http://www.khaama.com/afghan-election-vote-audit-suspended-following-disagreements-8344

[HalloIsBack]

Activists in Kabul rally against coalition government formation

By Ghanizada - Sun Jul 20, 4:50 pm

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A demonstration was organized in capital Kabul on Sunday to oppose with the formation of a coalition government.
Civil society activists, members of ethnic and social councils were among dozens of people who pariticipated in the peaceful demonstration in capital Kabul.
The rally participants called on future president of Afghanistan to prevent the formation of a coalition government under the name of national unity government.
The main concerns of the rally participants were that the warlords might be given share in the next government of Afghanistan, once the coalition government is formed.
Activists and members of over 25 civil society organizations along with the ethnic and social council had participated in the rally.
This comes as presidential contenders, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghni Ahmadzai, promised to form a national unity government once the full audit of the runoff presidential vote is completed.
The two contenders had also agreed to abide by the results of the extensive vote audit.

http://www.khaama.com/activists-in-kabul-rally-against-coalition-government-formation-6441

[HalloIsBack]

Officials of the IEC said the audit suspended late Saturday because of misunderstanding between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai's electoral teams. / مقام های کمیسیون انتخابات گفته اند که روند بازرسی آرا از نا وقت شنبه تا کنون متوقف است. گفته می شود که این روند عصر دیروز، زمانی متوقف شد که اختلاف نظرها میان دسته انتخاباتی عبدالله عبدالله و اشرف غنی احمد زی بالا گرفتند.

https://www.facebook.com/TOLOnewsElections2014/photos/a.168755986661173.1073741828.163155520554553/270302109839893/?type=1&relevant_count=1

[HalloIsBack]

[HalloIsBack]

Vote audit resumes after hours of suspension

By Muhammad Hassan Khetab Jul 20, 2014 - 13:33 KABUL (Pajhwok): The vote audit resumed after suspension for a few hours due to misunderstandings between representatives of the two candidates, an official said on Sunday.
The audit was launched at the Independent Election Commission (IEC) headquarters in the presence of representatives of both runners, Afghan and foreign observers three days ago.
The recount resumed at around 2:00pm, IEC spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor told Pajhwok Afghan News. The audit had been going well until Saturday afternoon. But it was suspended due to disagreements between the two sides.
“Differences between the two camps surfaced over voter signatures and thumb impressions on ballot papers. One of the teams said only those votes are valid which have signatures and thumb impressions,” Noor said.
Tahir Zahir, the Change and Continuity team deputy spokesperson, confirmed suspension of the audit. He told Pajhwok Afghan News that IEC officials, representatives of the candidates and the UN secretary general special representatives were in talks on the issue.
But the two camps later reached an understanding that paved the ground for the recount to resume, the commission’s spokesman said. The exercise is ongoing in a normal way.
Following talks on the issue, the two sides agreed on an audit mechanism, Noor said. Signatures instead of tick marks and similar tick marks on result sheets were the main factors behind suspension of the exercise.
The election commission says the audit of more than eight million ballots will take up to four weeks to complete. The process was launched following a US-brokered deal between Abdullah and Ahmadzai.

http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2014/07/20/vote-audit-resumes-after-hours-suspension

[HalloIsBack]

Observers Distressed About Auditing Procedures


21 Jul, 2014
Written By Ratib Noori



The election observer institutions on Monday raised concerns over brawls between the candidates about the finalization of the vote auditing checklist, which defines the process that will certify the method of invalidating ballots.
The monitoring bodies asserted that the auditing method could be pushed to a stalemate if candidates do not agree on the inspection procedures soon.
“If there are no legal frameworks and procedures, there is a possibility that the process will face challenges,” head of the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA), Mohammad Naeem Ayoubzada, said.
Furthermore, Chairman of Afghanistan Election Watch, Jandad Spinghar, asserted that it is important for the candidates to rely on international standards.
“Both sides have agreed on a set of standards. There are ways to implement these principles on the basis of global standards," Spinghar said. "Neither candidate should refuse to execute the said standards."
It is not yet clear which campaign team has raised concerns over the auditing process. But reports indicate that negotiations are underway between presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah and opponent Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai's camps regarding Abdullah's recommendations to the United Nations (UN).
"I think that our opponent has not approved the recommendations yet. The issue is between the UN and Ghani-Ahmadzai’s camp,” said Fazel Ahmad Manavi, who is in charge of the technical negotiations in Abdullah’s camp. “The recommendations should be approved soon as our demands are completely in line with international standards."
Ghani-Ahmadzai’s team has stated that negotiations to resolve the issue are underway with all the involved parties.
“Negotiations are not just between the two teams but also with the UN and other involved institutions,” Ghani-Ahmadzai’s camp spokesman Tahir Zuhair said. "The procedures must be acceptable to all parties."
Meanwhile, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the two camps will reach an agreement soon.
“The disagreements are not serious and will not undermine the agreements," UNAMA Spokeswoman Neelab Mubarez said. "The candidates have reached a consensus; we ask them to keep up the same spirit and put an end to the prolonged process."
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has also expressed optimism about resolving the recent disagreements.
“We are optimistic about the outcomes of the talks,” IEC Spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said. "We have made many good pacts thus far and we hope that the procedure is finalized soon."
The candidates have yet to reach an agreement and conclude the specific technicalities in the audit process. Finalization of the procedure is considered a crucial step in pushing the election process forward.

http://www.tolonews.com/elections2014/observers-distressed-about-auditing-procedures

[HalloIsBack]

Afghanistan was at risk of major disaster due to elections: Spanta

By Ghanizada - Tue Jul 22, 4:18 pm

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The national security advisor Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta said Tuesday that the runoff presidential election had placed Afghanistan in a dangerous situation.
Spanta said an agreement to form a national unity government was key to rescue the country from an uncontrollable situation and end the political impasse.
He said majority of the people were pessimistic regarding a democratic process and half of the people were feeling discrimination due to an orchestrated election process.
According to Spanta, the issue had sparked rage and furor among the Afghan people which had put Afghanistan in a dangerous and uncontrollable situation.
He said the anti-government armed militant groups and terrorist networks would benefit more than any one else that could further destabilize the country.
The agreement to form a national unity government was reached between the two presidential contenders, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, following US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit.
Kerry visited Kabul amid concerns that the disputed runoff election could endanger the stability of the country as certain allies of a presidential candidate had suggested a parallel government.

http://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-was-at-risk-of-major-disaster-due-to-elections-spanta-6454

[HalloIsBack]

People Do Not Want an Uprising: Ghani


Sunday, 17 August 2014 20:38 Written by Aazem Arash

In an interview with the Washington Post on August 14, Governor of Balkh, Attah Mohammad Noor supporter of Abdullah Abdullah, said that if the audit process was one-sided and fraudulent the team will not accept the results and will start a civil uprising.

"If the vote recount is one-sided or fraudulent, we will not bow down and accept the results," he said in the interview with Washington Post.

"We do not want a crisis, but we will defend the rights of our people. We will have a big civil uprising...we will occupy government buildings and institutions...we will boycott the process, and we will not recognize the next government because it will have no legitimacy."

Meanwhile, in an interview with Radio Azadi, presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was asked what his reaction was to Noor's assertive statement.
"Uprising?" Ghani questioned, bursting into laughter. "This is really funny. It made me laugh. Think about it, Dr. Abdullah is an official of a team and is a national character. He has promised to accept the result of audit; no one can create an uprising. It's simple; the people of Afghanistan do not want an uprising."
Further into the interview, Ghani said that he will not decide on the distribution of ministries prior to the announcement of final results.
"Division of power in a traditional manner is saying that this ministry is yours and these are ours and you don't have the right to ask about this province and I don't have the right to ask about your ministries. In this case division is not the matter; this is a power share system, which will facilitate political sharing to end war."
Based on the joint declaration of both candidates, both presidential candidates agreed to form a National Unity Government that will develop a prosperous Afghanistan.
Currently, members of both committees are discussing the details of the formation of the National Unity Government.

http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/16004-people-do-not-want-an-uprising-ghani

[ComradePashtun]

Well done Ghani. I saw the interview and he really did laugh at the illiterate warlord and ridiculed him for the bluff.

Goes to show how he is worried about his future political being and the fate of illegal wealth he has amassed. Surely things wont be the same with Dostum now being the second most authority and his other rivals such as Juma Khan Hamdard who will have a much upper hand in Ghani's government. The status-quo is bound to alter significantly.

[ComradePashtun]

I think Ghani will handle him responsibly even accommodate him depending how this man is going to act up. Ghani will be worried about bigger threats and challenges Afghanistan is currently facing both in the security and economic spheres with less and unimportant distractions.

[HalloIsBack]

4 injured after Abdullah’s observers attack election workers with knives

By Ghanizada - Tue Aug 19 2014, 10:13 pm

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At least four people were injured after an observer of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah attacked the Independent Election Commission (IEC) worker during the audit process.
The incident took place around 5:30 pm local time on Tuesday following a brawl between the Abdullah observers and IEC workers in one of the warehouses of election commission, an official said.
The official speaking on the condition of anonymity futher added that the assailants managed to flee the area after stabbing the election workers.
He said the injured election workers were taken to hospital for treatment and there are no reports regarding their health condition.
Preliminary reports suggest that the incident took place after the election workers brought a ballot box from IEC store to the recount centre, but was opposed by Abdullah observers who started attacking the election workers.
Kabul security officials have not commented regarding the incident so far.

http://www.khaama.com/4-injured-after-abdullahs-observers-attack-election-workers-with-knives-6576

[HalloIsBack]

Abdullah vows to protect the rights and votes of people

By Ghanizada - Thu Aug 21 2014, 3:58 pm

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Presidential contender, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah said Thursday that his team will remain committed in defending people’s right and clean votes which were casted in his favor during the presidential election.
Abdullah was speaking during a gathering attended by hundreds of his supporters in capital Kabul.
He said his team wants audit process to be conducted in accordance with the international standards and insisted that he accepted the audit considering the demands of the Afghan people.
Abdullah warned that Afghanistan will go towards uncertainty if no step was taken to defend from the right and votes of people.
The gathering in Kabul comes as the two presidential candidates agreed to form a unity government and vowed to abide by the result of the vote audit.
A number of Abdullah’s supporter’s who spoke during the gathering ahead of Abdullah’s speech, seemed to be unhappy with the ongoing audit process.
However, Abdullah said his team will announce their decision once the audit process has been completed.
In the meantime, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the US ambassador to Afghanistan have insisted on the conclusion of election process by the end of August.
President Karzai has expressed concerns regarding the negative impact of election delays which has negatively affected the country’s security, stability and economy of the country, and emphasized that the election results must be announced within the timeline as previously agreed (current month of August) so that the new President can take office.
The US ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham also called on the two presidential contenders to fulfil their commitments and end the lengthy election process.
Cunningham insisted that it is vital that the next president of Afghanistan should be elected by end of this month so that he attends the important international summits, including the NATO summit in Wales.
http://www.khaama.com/abdullah-vows-...of-people-6585

[Tiger Khan]

I just thunk Abdullah Abdullah is full of shi***. He wants the audit to be in his favor otherwise he is not going to accept it... When we all know that the election was a simple maths.. Asraf ghani had won before the first vote in the second round was cast.. as all the opposing Pashtuns were not contesting, leaving some Pashtun votes for him.

[HalloIsBack]

Discussions to Finalize Inauguration Date in Progress


Monday, 25 August 2014 19:24 Last Updated on Monday, 25 August 2014 19:35 Written by Saleha Sadat

The two electoral teams will meet with President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday to discuss the finalization of the election process and the inauguration date, Abdullah Abdullah's electoral camp said on Monday.
"The two candidates will meet with President Karzai tomorrow to clarify the final date for the inauguration ceremony and discuss the participation of the Afghan delegation in the upcoming NATO conference," Syed Fazel Sancharaki, member of Abdullah's camp, said.

In his meetings with the candidates and foreign officials, Karzai has declared that the final election results should be announced by the end of the month, emphasizing that the inauguration ceremony will not be pushed back.

In response to Karzai's declaration, Abdullah's camp has stated that the final results cannot be announced without the completion of the vote audit process, while presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai's camp expressed optimism over the timely transition of power.

"We hope that the agreements between the two candidates are finalized tomorrow so that the final election results are announced on time," Faizullah Zaki, member of Ghani's camp, said.

Meanwhile, a number of analysts have criticized Karzai's statements about the inauguration ceremony, stating that the date of the formal procedure should be determined by the election management bodies only.

"We must not sacrifice accuracy for time," Head of Afghanistan's Center of Strategic Studies Dawood Muradian said. "The inauguration ceremony is dependent on the agreements between the two candidates; determining the date is not up to the president."

The Presidential Palace maintains its position, asking the candidates and election management bodies to finalize the election process as soon as possible.

"The date proposed by the president for the announcement of final results is unchangeable," Deputy Presidential spokesman, Fayeq Wahidi, said. "Further prolongation of the election process is not in the interest of the country. The president has also discussed the issue with the U.S. ambassador and the United Nations special envoy in Kabul."

The president's assertions have raised more uncertainties about the country's political future and the implications of any delays in the announcement of the final election results.

http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/16106-discussions-to-finalize-inauguration-date-in-progress