Ex-Finance Minister Ghani named Afghanistan's president-elect

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani was named Afghanistan's president-elect on Sunday, Sept 21, after he signed a deal to share power with his opponent, ending months of turmoil over a disputed election that destabilized the country as most foreign troops prepare to leave, Reuters reported.

The announcement withheld the final election numbers, apparently as part of the political deal between Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister who claimed the process was rigged against him.

"The Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan declares Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the president of Afghanistan," commission chief Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani said.

Under the terms of the unity deal, Ghani will share power with a chief executive proposed by Abdullah. The two will share control over who leads key institutions such as the Afghan army and other executive decisions.

Nuristani acknowledged deep flaws in the June 14 run-off vote and said that a UN-supervised audit was not adequate to weed out all the vote-rigging. The audit was organized at a cost of $10 million to be paid for by U.S. aid money, according to the United Nations.

Ghani and Abdullah ratified the power-sharing agreement earlier on Sunday at the presidential palace, joined by outgoing leader Hamid Karzai. The rivals-turned-partners shared a brief embrace after signing the papers.

Ghani is expected to be sworn in as president on Sept 29, according to a senior Afghan official.