Afghanistan’s rival presidential candidates signed a deal yesterday to share power after months of turmoil over a disputed election that destabilized the nation at a crucial time as most foreign troops prepare to leave.
Former Afghan minister of finance Ashraf Ghani, who will be named president under the deal reached on Saturday night, embraced his rival, former Afghan minister of foreign affairs Abdullah Abdullah, after they signed the agreement in a ceremony broadcast live on television.
The new administration faces huge challenges in fighting an emboldened Taliban-led insurgency and paying its bills amid plummeting tax revenue.
It will also face significant difficulty in improving the lives of ordinary Afghans, who face hard times as aid flows fall and as contracts with the NATO-led coalition dry up as most foreign troops leave by the end of the year.
The powersharing deal was signed even though the final results of a hotly contested June 14 run-off vote have yet to be released.
The signing ceremony took place at the presidential palace still occupied by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Karzai’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said Ghani is expected to be sworn in as president within a week. He said one of Ghani’s first acts would be to sign a long-delayed bilateral security agreement with the US to allow a small force of foreign troops to remain in Afghanistan after the end of this year.
The deal, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, was swiftly welcomed by Washington.
“This agreement marks an important opportunity for unity and increased stability in Afghanistan,” a statement issued by the office of the White House press secretary said.
“We continue to call on all Afghans — including political, religious and civil society leaders — to support this agreement and to come together in calling for cooperation and calm,” it said.
It will also come as a relief for Afghans, who have watched the tortuous process play out since they first voted in April.
The drawn-out election was meant to mark the first democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan’s troubled history, but the disputes between Ghani and Abdullah ruined hopes for a smooth transition.
Karzai has ruled since soon after the Taliban government was ousted by US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
The uncertainty surrounding the political transition emboldened the Taliban-led insurgency to launch more attacks across Afghanistan, just as the newly trained Afghan security forces prepare to lead the fight against the militants on their own after foreign troops withdraw.
Ghani and Abdullah finally struck a power-sharing deal on Saturday, their aides said.
As part of that deal, the winner would become the new president and the runner-up would nominate a chief executive with newly expanded powers.
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