With talks between rival presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai well underway, representatives from both camps on Sunday expressed modest optimism about their ability to come to a resolution and bring an end to the crisis that has gripped the election process over the past few weeks.
The talks began with mediation from the United Nations, President Hamid Karzai and his Vice Presidents, following Abdullah’s allegations that the election commissions, along with the Presidential Palace, helped orchestrate large-scale fraud in favor of his opponent. Two technical teams were formed by each campaign this last week and they have reportedly started to discuss the nuts and bolts of the disputed issues.
“We have agreed on a few issues,” Abdullah’s technical team member Alemi Balkhi said on Sunday. “Fraud has taken place broadly and must be addressed, the commissions have problems and cannot move forward in the process alone and violators must be handed over to judicial institutions.”
Abdullah held a press conference Sunday evening in which he remained hesitant to confirm any substantial details from the talks. “Progress on the political level depends on progress on the technical level,” Abdullah said.
He went on to accuse Independent Election Commission Chief Ahmed Yousuf Nuristani had accepted exaggerated turnout numbers from some provinces and he reiterated claims that ballot boxes had been stuffed as early as the day before the election.
“We proved with evidence, now the world agrees that widespread fraud has taken place,” Abdullah said.
Nevertheless, in Ashraf Ghani’s camp, which has emphasized stability and adherence to the formal election process in the face of Abdullah’s accusations, assured the public on Sunday that there is hope for the negotiations.
“Meetings are continuing day and night to end the crisis, we would like to say that there is hope,” Ashraf Ghani campaign member Azita Refat said.
But it remains unclear if any decisions made cooperatively between the two rival camps would be accepted by election officials, who have refused to entertain Abdullah’s demands up to this point.
“Both commissions must solve the problems, our stand is that we will not accept decisions made by the technical teams of the presidential campaigns,” Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) Chairman Abdul Satar Sadat said on Sunday.
The fact that the opposing campaigns are meeting regularly to put an end to the standoff that has put the country on edge since the runoff election on June 14 is likely an encouraging sign for those who feared violent hostilities could erupt. But without any tangible outcome from the talks yet, and election officials sticking by the book, the course the election process will take moving forward remains largely uncertain.