*Amanullah Ghilzai is Managing Editor of VOA Pashto Afghan service Day 11 in Afghanistan
25 August - The Afghan Election Commission announced the long awaited partial results in the country’s presidential elections today. The Election Commission officials told journalists in a Kabul hotel this evening that out of half million votes counted, Mr. Hamid Karzai is ahead of Mr. Abdullah Abdullah by about two per cent. The Commission announced just 10 per cent of the total vote as counting and verification continues and the rest of the results would be announced on daily basis and it will take a while until all the results are announced.
The partial results were announced amidst allegations of widespread fraud by the supports of several candidates. Afghan Election Commission is looking into more than 200 of electoral complaints. Earlier during the Afghan finance Minister Dr. Omar Zakhelwal who was leading Karzai's campaign team I the election, has claimed that Mr. Hamid Karzai has won 68% of the vote. If what he says is correct than it means that there would be no need for the second round run-off between the two candidates.
According to most Afghan analysts Just 10 per cent results of are not enough to provide clear indication as to who is the winner. The situation regarding the political environment in Kabul get more uncertain Dr. Abdullah Abdullah gave another press conference in Kabul today during which looked some what uncomfortable. He provided video and documentary evidence relating to his allegations of fraud in the presidential Election. Most analysts in Kabul believe that the future course of action of Abdullah Abdullah is not known at this stage.
Earlier we interviewed Abdullah Abdullah and once again ask him the crucial question as what would be his future of course of action, Mr. Abdullah couldn’t drawn to give a clear cut answer but when he pushed to hard by one of my colleagues, Nisar Haris if his supporters would resort to protest demonstrations, he answered, “it is up to them”, “I will not strike a deal in exchange for any positions,”. Mr. Abdullah added.
Many analysts in Kabul still believe that Abdullah Abdullah would not resort to protest demonstrations despite these allegations, as according to them, he knows very well that the present situation in Afghanistan cannot afford political agitation which is a part of democracy but any political unrest could be harmful for the very young Afghan democracy.
