After months of delay, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Sunday announced that Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has been elected the next President of Afghanistan.

Official congratulated Abdullah Abdullah for becoming the Chief Executive of Afghanistan and refused to offer any exact numbers when it came to the election results. 

“As we continue to register complaints and invalidate hundreds of thousands ballots, the Independent Election Commission announces Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the President of Afghanistan and ends the election process,” IEC Chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani said.

The announcement comes just a day after it was announced that the two candidates had concluded their negotiations and agreed upon terms for their power sharing arrangement. One of the last points of contention the candidates were said to have resolved was the matter of announcing the election results.
 
On Sunday, the IEC Chairman acknowledged that the vote audit was unable to determine the exact extent of fraud committed in the election. “Although the audit was conducted, it was credible and unprecedented in its size, but despite all of that, the audit could not find all the fraud claimed by both sides,” Nuristani said.
 
Reportedly the IEC has shared the exact numerical breakdown of the results with the candidates. “Members of the IEC have announced the results and the details will come later,” commission spokesman Noor Muhammad Noor said. "One of the demands of candidates was that before the announcement of results to the public, it should first be discussed with them. On the other hand, the candidates did not want the results to be announced today, but the IEC stood firm on its decision and announced the results.”
 
Adding another wrinkle to the situation, just minutes before the announcement of Ashraf Ghani’s victory, Sareer Ahmad Barmak, a commissioners of the IEC said that, said that the reason the numerical results were not announced was that the commission has not completed its responsibilities.
 
“There are some technical works that we are wrapping up, but due to the rush we have to announce the results of the elections, and make it clear who is the winner,” Barmak said.
 
The commission’s decision to announce the results without precise figures, ironically, stemmed from growing criticism of the handling of the election process and questioning of its credibility. The IEC said they hoped to assuage anxieties and end the political instability that has gripped the country for months.