Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, sounding secure in the prospect of victory, began outlining his plans for a new government in a speech to supporters on Wednesday.
At the same time, Ahmadzai insisted that he was ready to continue negotiations aimed at forming a national unity government with his presidential rival, Abdullah Abdullah, even though Abdullah on Monday declared that talks were deadlocked and that he would never accept an Ahmadzai presidency because of widespread electoral fraud.
However, Ahmadzai was adamant that he was unwilling to compromise on what he said were constitutional issues in the talks over forming a government.
“We will not compromise on the constitutional issue, but we will still continue the discussions, today, tomorrow, and we remain optimistic,” Ahmadzai said.
“Inshallah, we will have a new government in a week,” he said, using an Arabic expression that means “God willing.”
However, there were no face-to-face talks between the two candidates on Tuesday or Wednesday, Ahmadzai said.
Abdullah left town on Tuesday for his home area of the Panjshir Valley as the country commemorated the 13th anniversary of the assassination of famed resistance fighter Ahmed Shah Massoud.
The constitutional issue Ahmadzai referred to is a serious sticking point between the candidates. Both have committed to form a unity government and accept the results of an audit of their June runoff election. That government would include a newly created post of chief executive, with the losing candidate nominating the person to fill that role.
Abdullah’s side wanted the chief executive to have executive powers over members of the Cabinet, giving it real authority, while Ahmadzai’s side has objected, saying that would be an unconstitutional abridgment of the president’s powers.
Although the audit was declared completed several days ago, the Independent Election Commission, which conducted it under the supervision of the UN, has not declared a winner and instead has been dribbling out adjudications — tabulations of polling places where votes are considered valid or not based on the audit — in a process that appears will take at least another week until a winner can be formally named.
Such an announcement had been expected by Tuesday, Western diplomats said last week.
Nearly all observers expect Ahmadzai to be declared the winner, but the Abdullah campaign insists not only was the election flawed, but the audit was unfair and failed to detect what Abdullah has called “industrial-scale fraud.”
Constitutionally, there is nothing to stop Ahmadzai from taking office as president once the results of the election are certified, even if a national unity government has not been agreed on by then. However, there are widespread fears of unrest among Abdullah’s supporters, some of whom have staged rowdy protests in Kabul or have called on him to declare a breakaway government.
“Accepting the announcement of the final results is the only way to break this political deadlock,” Ahmadzai said. “I will stick to the national unity government, but there won’t be any compromise. It will be on a constitutional basis. We will not go past the constitution to make a deal.”
Ahmadzai also told the crowd of top supporters and campaign workers some of the plans he has for a new government, including setting up a system in which local officials have to compete on a merit basis for their positions and increasing popular participation in the choice of presidential appointees.
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