KABUL, Afghanistan — After a bruising six-month election battle, Afghanistan’s President-elect, Ashraf Ghani, will finally be inaugurated next week, officials said Monday.
But there was no immediate word on the timetable for signing a key security agreement with the United States that would allow nearly 10,000 U.S. troops, primarily advisers and counterterrorist units, to remain in Afghanistan after the end of this year, when all combat forces withdraw.
On Sunday, Afghanistan’s electoral commission confirmed Ghani as the winner of the June 14 runoff against Abdullah Abdullah after the conclusion of a United Nations-sponsored recount of all 8 million ballots cast. The audit was initiated because of allegations of massive fraud. Abdullah led in the first round of voting in April.
Ghani’s win was announced just hours after he and Abdullah had concluded a far-reaching agreement on a national unity government.
The accord ends a three-month dispute over the results of the June elections, in which Ghani and Abdullah accused each other of fraud.
It envisions the creation of a new post of chief executive of the cabinet and sweeping constitutional reforms. Abdullah or one of his nominees is expected to fill the powerful new position, which both candidates had agreed to in principle after meetings last month with Secretary of State John Kerry.
Haleem Fidyee, a senior member of Ghani’s election team, said the inauguration ceremony would be held Monday. This was confirmed by international officials in Kabul.
Fidayee said it was unclear when the election commission would release the final vote tally.
He also said the two candidates and their aides had been “totally consumed” in recent weeks by negotiations on the power-sharing deal and had not had time to consider when the Bilateral Security Agreement with the U.S. would be concluded.
Outgoing President Hamid Karzai had refused to sign the agreement, putting at risk continued international support for the Afghan security forces after the withdrawal of coalition combat forces at the end of this year. Both Ghani and Abdullah have said in the past that they would sign the agreement, which would lay out the terms for the continued presence of U.S. and allied forces. NATO has a similar agreement with Afghanistan awaiting signature.
A U.S. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Ghani had confirmed his intent to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement promptly after inauguration.
“The signing of the BSA remains a top U.S. and Afghan priority,” the official said.
The NATO-led international coalition, which numbered about 150,000 three years ago, still has 41,000 in Afghanistan — two-thirds of them Americans. Afghanistan’s security forces number about 350,000 members.
This year has been the bloodiest on record for the Afghan army and police, now fully responsible for the country’s security, as the Taliban has taken advantage of the long electoral impasse to launch a series of attacks across the nation.
Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report.
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