Remain impartial, Abdullah tells international partners

KABUL (Pajhwok): Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah on Thursday asked the European Union and other international partners to adhere to their principled positions and respect a fair and legal Afghan election process and results.

Reacting to EU high representative Josep Borrell’s phone call in which he congratulated President Ashraf Ghani on winning the presidential election, Abdullah said: “In a letter today to EU's High Rep./VP H.E. Borrell, I requested clarification.”

The CEO said he remained international friends the systemic fraud and serious electoral irregularities at the behest of a rival team produced results which were illegal and unacceptable to most Afghans.

“As the rightful winners, we decided to form an inclusive government and engage all sides to aim for a just and cohesive outcome. We also ask our international friends to remain impartial, adhere to their principled positions and respect a fair & legal Afghan process and results,” he said.

Earlier,  the European Union congratulated President Ashraf Ghani on his reelection and hailed the poll panels for dealing with challenges in the electoral process.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Vice-President Josep Borrell greeted Ghani on the outcome of the electoral process, according to a statement.

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