Kerry swoops into Afghanistan amid election deadlock

  • 10 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Afghan presidential contender Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul on Friday (July 11) to discuss the outcome of last month's run-off election.

Abdullah's camp rejected preliminary results of the election as a "coup" against the people, putting him on a dangerous collision course with his rival, Ashraf Ghani, who won the June 14 second round with 56.44 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

The deadlock over the vote has quashed hopes for a smooth transition of power in Afghanistan, a concern for Washington as most U.S.-led forces withdraw from the nation this year. The United States believes the results of the final tally in the second round should not be released until the audits have been completed. Washington considers the results to be preliminary.

"The United States has one overriding interest here, and that is the people of Afghanistan, that Afghanistan have a government t

Category

Recommended