Afghanistan’s rival leaders were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies yesterday, throwing plans for negotiations with the Taliban into chaos and creating a dilemma for the US as it figures out how to move its peace deal with the Taliban forward.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who last month was declared the winner of the elections in September last year, and his rival, former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, who alleged fraud in the vote along with the elections complaints commission, have refused to settle their differences.
The two ceremonies were held at the same time, Ghani’s in the presidential palace and Abdullah’s in the Sapedar Palace, which is part of the presidential palace complex, both packed with each rival’s supporters.
Photo: AP
In a sign of international support for Ghani, his ceremony — aired on state TV — was attended by Washington’s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad; General Austin Miller, the head of US forces in Afghanistan, as well as a number of foreign dignitaries including the US embassy’s charge d’affaires and Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN secretary-general’s personal representative to Afghanistan.
Abdullah inaugurated himself as president minutes after Ghani was sworn into office for a second term, vowing to “safeguard the independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity” of Afghanistan.
At Abdullah’s inauguration, aired on private Tolo TV, some of the attendees were some of the so-called “jihadi” commanders who allied with the US-led coalition to topple the Taliban in 2001 and participated in the 1990s civil wars, raising fears that the divisions among leaders could lead to violence.
Photo: Reuters
Two blasts were heard during the ceremonies, prompting some people to flee.
Many of those who fled returned to their seats after Ghani’s refusal to leave the podium prompted cheers and applause.
“I have no bulletproof vest on, only my shirt, I will stay even if I have to sacrifice my head,” Ghani told the remaining crowd at his event, as sirens sounded overhead.
The dueling inaugurations took place despite last-minute shuttle diplomacy by Khalilzad, who reportedly went back and forth between the two rivals into the early hours of yesterday.
A senior member of Abdullah’s team, Basir Salangi, told Tolo TV that the US envoy had asked both sides to delay their inaugurations for three days to sort out the stalemate.
Abdullah reportedly said he was ready, but would go ahead with his ceremony if Ghani refused to postpone.
In a tweet, former Afghan deputy foreign minister Jawed Luddin thanked Washington for trying to sort out Afghanistan’s political turmoil while calling the squabbling “a mess.”
“Thank you, USA, for trying to sort out our political crisis — yet again. We know you must be sick of it — as are we Afghans,” he said.
“You and us both had a hand in bringing about the mess that is today’s Afghan politics. But I wish we Afghans felt half as responsible for the mess as you do,” he added.
Intra-Afghan talks are scheduled to be held today in Oslo, Norway.
Additional reporting by AFP
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