iStock/Thinkstock(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Preliminary results of Afghanistan’s presidential election are due Monday but it’s doubtful they will be accepted by the candidate who trails the frontrunner.
Both Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani have accused the other of attempting to manipulate the outcome of the June 14 runoff election with Abdullah in particular charging widespread fraud.
Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham have urged the candidates to accept an audit of about 10 percent of the 23,000 polling stations by the Independent Election Commission.
However, their cooperation appears unlikely as Ghani has ruled out any power-sharing that might come from a coalition government.
The conflict between the candidates has split along ethnic lines with Ghani a member of the majority Pashtun sect while Abdullah is supported by the Tajik minority in northern Afghanistan.
While Afghans wait to see who succeeds outgoing President Hamid Karzai, Washington is also anxious for a new leader to take power so the Bilateral Security Agreement can be signed. Without it, the U.S. will leave no residual forces in Afghanistan after 2014.
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