Ex-Finance Minister Ghani named Afghanistan's president-electSeptember 22, 2014 - 10:23 AMT 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. Photo: Reuters Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia PM meets Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyyed Ali Khamenei Ruling MP accuses opposition of “serving other countries' interests” Khachatur Sukiasyan has accused Armenia’s opposition of serving the interests of other countries Protest leader vows to achieve departure of Armenian authorities According to Archbishop Bagrat, there is only one solution to the situation in Armenia. Heads of Armenian, Ukrainian parliaments hold virtual talks Alen Simonyan and Ruslan Stefanchuk held talks via video conference on Tuesday, May 21. |