Afghanistan's Rival Presidential Contenders Are In A Last-Ditch Attempt To Save Their Power-Sharing Agreement

Afghanistan's presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah (L) addresses a news conference with rival Ashraf Ghani (R) at this side as they announced a deal for the auditing of all Afghan election votes at the United Nations Compound in Kabul, late July 12, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Jim Bourg

Afghan Election Contenders In Last-Ditch Bid To Rescue Power-Sharing Deal -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Afghanistan's rival presidential campaigns were holding last-ditch talks on Wednesday to rescue a deal on a national government after a disputed election raised fears of exacerbating ethnic divisions.

Presidential contender Abdullah Abdullah extended a Tuesday deadline to disengage from the political process to allow international efforts to salvage the U.S-brokered deal under which the two sides also agreed to accept the results of a U.N.-supervised vote audit, his camp said.

Abdullah, a former foreign minister who draws most of his support from the minority Tajiks and Hazara communities centered largely in the north and the center, is locked in a feud with rival candidate Ashraf Ghani, a member of Afghanistan's biggest ethnic group, the Pashtuns.

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My Comment: The differences are huge .... and unless President Obama gets involved directly .... this whole process is going to collapse (if not already).

Afghanistan's Unity Government Agreement Has Collapsed

Afghan Talks On Unity Government Collapse; Crisis Deepens -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Talks on a power-sharing deal between Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates have collapsed, a top leader said on Monday, rekindling fears of ethnic unrest over disputed election results.

Under the terms of a deal brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the runner-up in the vote was to name a "chief executive" in a national unity government conceived to keep the lid on political tensions.

Abdullah Abdullah was runner-up in the official election results. Mohammad Mohaqeq, one of Abdullah's vice presidential running mates, told Reuters the two sides could not agree on the powers of the chief executive, accusing the camp of election winner Ashraf Ghani of hardening its position.

"The talks collapsed two days ago. The political process is now at a stalemate, we don't see any way out," Mohaqeq, a leader of the minority Hazara community, said in an interview in Kabul, as a months-long power struggle to succeed President Hamid Karzai showed no signs of a resolution.

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My Comment: This is a breaking news story .... and if true .... another disaster for Afghanistan and U.S. policy in the region..

Afghan Presidential Candidate Abdullah Threatens To Withdraw From Presidential Vote Audit

Afghanistan's presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah (L) addresses a news conference with rival Ashraf Ghani (R) at this side as they announced a deal for the auditing of all Afghan election votes at the United Nations Compound in Kabul, late July 12, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Jim Bourg/Files

Abdullah Threatens To Pull Out Of Afghan Presidential Vote Audit -- Voice of America

Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has threatened to pull out of the U.N.-supervised auditing process of June's disputed runoff election, further complicating efforts to resolve the standoff.

A senior member of Abdullah's campaign team, Fazel Ahmad Manawi, told reporters auditors have not shown a willingness to throw out votes that the candidate's team views as fraudulent.

Manawi called the process a "joke," saying Abdullah would withdraw Wdnesday if the concerns are not addressed. "Unfortunately the invalidation process is just a joke and there is no intention of throwing out fraudulent votes."

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More News On Reports That Afghan Presidential Candidate Abdullah Is Threatening To Withdraw From The Presidential Vote Audit

Afghan candidate threatens to pull out of election process -- Reuters
Afghan Presidential Candidate Threatens to Withdraw From Election -- New York Times
Afghan Candidate Threatens Boycott of Vote Audit -- AP
Afghanistan's Abdullah threatens to withdraw from recount process -- CSM
Abdullah Threatens to Reject Afghan Results in Fresh Crisis -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Afghan presidential candidate threatens to pull out of poll audit -- Al Jazeera
U.S.-brokered accord to salvage Afghan presidential election faces new challenge -- Washington Post

Afghanistan's Presidential Candidates Agree To Cooperate In A Future Government

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks next to Afghan presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Abdullah Abdullah (R) during a news conference in Kabul August 8, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Afghan Presidential Candidates Endorse Plan for Broad-Based Government -- Wall Street Journal

Candidates Vow to Step Up Cooperation So New President Can Take Office By Month's End

KABUL—Afghanistan's two presidential candidates on Friday formally endorsed a political agreement that paves the way for a broad-based government, giving new life to a deal facilitated by Secretary of State John Kerry aimed at putting an end to the country's protracted election dispute.

The two candidates—Former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah —previously shook hands on the deal, but opposition to it from within their respective camps threatened to scuttle it. On Friday, they finally signed the agreement that commits them to setting up a government of national unity.

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Afghanistan's Presidential Candidates Agree To Cooperate In A Future Government

Rival Afghan presidential candidates sign deal to cooperate -- Reuters
After meeting with Kerry, Afghan candidates agree to resolve dispute -- AP
Afghan Candidates Vow to Accept Election Audit Outcome -- Bloomberg
Afghan Presidential Rivals Agree to Sign a Deal -- NYT
Afghan Presidential Candidates Sign Unity Deal -- VOA
Afghanistan's presidential rivals reach agreement after Kerry flies into Kabul -- The Guardian
Afghan poll rivals sign unity government deal -- Al Jazeera
Why John Kerry Made a Secret Trip to Afghanistan -- Ali Weinberg, ABC News

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Makes A Surprise Visit To Afghanistan To Promote Power-Sharing Agreement

Kerry In Kabul To Try To Break Deadlock Over Afghan Presidency -- Reuters

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday for his second visit in under a month to push a deal between the country's two presidential candidates on how to share power after an audit of a disputed election is complete.

Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah shook hands on an agreement to resolve the election row after Kerry's visit in July but they remain far apart on critical components of their pact to form a united government.

Although a painstaking audit of all eight million ballots cast in the second round of voting is under way, neither candidate has openly endorsed the process and the deadlock has raised the spectre of violent conflict along ethnic lines.

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More News On U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Making A Surprise Visit To Afghanistan To Promote A Power-Sharing Agreement

Kerry urges Afghan candidates to end dispute -- Washington Post/AP
Kerry Visits Afghanistan to Urge Deal on the Election -- NY
Kerry Arrives in Afghanistan Amid Political Deadlock -- VOA
Kerry Returns to Kabul to Referee Disputed Afghan Election -- WSJ
Kerry visits Kabul to push for fast recount in disputed presidential election -- Washington Post
John Kerry in Kabul to meet with presidential candidates amid slowed vote audit -- UPI
Kerry in Kabul to Seek New Afghan President This Month -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Kerry in Kabul to promote power-sharing agreement -- Stars and Stripes

Afghanistan's Presidential Recount Has Been Suspended Again

Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah, left, and Ashraf Ghani announce an audit plan in Kabul on July 12, 2014.

Afghan Recount Delayed Again -- Voice of America

Afghan officials have again suspended the auditing of votes from the country's runoff presidential election.

They said Saturday the count was delayed because presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has not yet agreed on how ballots will be determined to be valid or invalid.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke separately by telephone Friday with Abdullah and rival candidate Ashraf Ghani to offer support for the Afghan election process. The State Department says Kerry stressed the need for the post-election audit to be completed in a timely manner.

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More News On Additional Fraud Allegations Over Afghanistan's Presidential Recount

Afghanistan polls crisis deepens with new fraud allegations -- The International News
Troubled audit of Afghan presidential vote resumes, but new troubles emerge -- Washington Post
Abdullah spurns US-brokered Afghan election audit -- The Nation/AFP
Afghan candidate claims poll fixed after 'leak' -- BBC

Update: Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has rejoined the recount process .... Representatives for Afghan Candidate Abdullah Join Vote Audit (RIA Novosti). More news on this return to the recount is here.