In a press conference on Wednesday evening, presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai shared with the nation of the current electoral dilemmas, stating that he will continue political negotiations with rival Abdullah Abdullah in hopes of reaching an agreement.
"We must come together and continue political talks. Afghanistan is the home of all of us; therefore, we need an inclusive national unity government," he stated, adding, however, that their "patience should not be misunderstood as weakness."
Ghani emphasized that political disagreements do not mean division in the nation.
"Our people have always been united. Our enemies should know that we are still united, despite all our political differences," he asserted. "No one can divide this nation."
He stressed to the election commissions that final results of the run-off must be announced as there is “no doubt in the credibility of the election.”
“We supported the 100 percent vote auditing to protect the genuine votes of the people. Therefore, the election commissions must announce the final results in the next few days and rid the nation of the uncertainty that lingers over the country.”
He went on to thank the people of Afghanistan for their patience throughout the election process.
"I want to thank the people of Afghanistan for their patience. Our people have voted for a better, brighter future so that no more blood is shed and so that history doesn't repeat itself," he said. "The bloodshed must end. We are responsible to protect the lives of the people," he added, pointing to the recent insecurities around the country.
Ghani, toward the end of his speech, called on rival Abdullah to come forth and work toward an agreement in unifying and reaching an agreement for nation and its people.
“I call on my brother Abdullah to join hands and work together toward a unified Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said that the announcement of final results will be broadcasted as soon as the invalidation process is over and the technical aspects of the procedure have been entered and registered into the system.
