Afghan president-elect delays inauguration amid talks to end stand-off

[March 09, 2020]  By Abdul Qadir Sediqi

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President-elect Ashraf Ghani on Monday delayed his planned inauguration until later in the day, after his rival postponed his scheduled competing swearing-in ceremony as their dispute over an election appeared to be coming to a head.

Both men say they are Afghanistan's rightful leader following a disputed election in September, a stand-off that threatens political chaos just days after the United States and the Taliban signed a deal on the withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces.

Private Tolo News showed a split-screen feed of live broadcasts from the rival ceremonies, with guests starting to take their seats on Monday afternoon.

Tolo reported international representatives, including some from Europe, had arrived at the Presidential Palace for Ghani's inauguration.

Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, Ghani's long-time rival, had also planned a ceremony for his inauguration.

Both Ghani and Abdullah have been locked in talks with U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad as he tries to cobble together a deal between the two camps, an official for Ghani said.

"We have been in serious negotiations with the Abdullah team since last night, and it is still underway," the official said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

"We hope to reach an agreement."

The Election Commission last month announced that Ghani had retained power by winning the Sept. 28 election. But Abdullah rejected that and proclaimed himself winner.

Ghani and Abdullah both held roles in the previous government under a U.S.-brokered power-sharing agreement that followed the previous election in 2014.

The political crisis comes as the government is meant to be preparing for talks with the Taliban, to follow up on the Feb. 29 pact between the United States and the insurgents on the withdrawal of U.S. troops after 18 years of war.

Abdullah had earlier offered to postpone his ceremony if Ghani did the same, in response to an appeal by Khalilzad, Abdullah's spokesman, Omid Maisam, said.

Ghani's team later said he had postponed his inauguration until the afternoon.

Four diplomatic sources said on condition of anonymity that the negotiations led by Khalilzad were not going well and the chance of reaching a solution was fading. Neither ceremony had begun as of early afternoon.

The U.S. Embassy declined to comment on the negotiations.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani (L) and Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah (R) participate in a family photo at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland July 8, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

'UNTENABLE ESCALATION'

Abdullah called for what he described as a fraudulent votes to be ruled invalid.

"No one should have underestimated our commitment to genuine democracy," he said on Twitter at around noon.

"Invalidation of all fraudulent votes is the way out."

One diplomat said that amidst the uncertainty, many foreign envoys were waiting for a "green signal" from the United States on whether to attend Ghani's ceremony.

"It's an outright messy situation for everyone," said a U.N. official who also declined to be identified.

Much of the center of the capital, Kabul, was at a virtual standstill. Security was tight and many private cars could not travel through the city.

About 4,000 guests, including members of parliament, tribal elders, government ministers and members of civil society waited at the Presidential Palace for Ghani's inauguration.

Less than a kilometer away, about 1,000 people including a few parliamentarians and many supporters from central Parwan province, where Abdullah's camp has strong support, waited at Abdullah's compound for his planned inauguration.

As the hours passed, organizers of both ceremonies promised to serve lunch.

Abdullah briefly appeared on the roof of his compound to greet supporters, who erupted into cheers and cries of "long live the president".

A Western diplomat expressed frustration with the stand-off.

"It would be fine if they all fought with their fists. It's the escalation of the conflict that's made it untenable," the diplomat said.

(Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Rupam Jain, Orooj Hakimi, Mohammad Akram, and Charlotte Greenfield; Writing by Rupam Jain and Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Jane Wardell, Robert Birsel)

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