UNITED NATIONS, September 9 (RIA Novosti) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has urged Afghanistan’s two presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, to conclude an agreement on a government of national unity, according to a United Nations statement issued Tuesday.
Ban Ki-Moon stressed “that this is a pivotal moment for Afghanistan, and that genuine partnership will be required in tackling Afghanistan's many challenges.”
“Both parties share a real responsibility to guide Afghanistan to a peaceful and more prosperous future. Given the scale of the challenges, this can only be done jointly,” the UN Secretary General added.
According to the UN statement, Ban Ki-Moon noted that “with the main audit [of votes] completed on September 4 and the announcement of updated results anticipated shortly, the Secretary-General expects that the candidates will now abide by their commitments to enable Afghanistan's first ever peaceful transfer of power.”
Preliminary results for Afghanistan’s presidential elections were released on July 7, showing former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani having garnered 56 percent of the votes.
Presidential contender Abdullah Abdullah, a Taliban resistance fighter, claimed the elections were fraudulent.
During his visit to Kabul last month, US Secretary of State John Kerry brokered a deal paving the way for a full audit of votes in Afghanistan.
The process has been suspended several times.
