Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Massoud Rejects Coalition Government

Massoud Rejects Coalition Government

KABUL - A key ally of presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai, Ahmad Zia Massoud, on Friday rejected the foundation of a coalition government.

Speaking at an event in Kabul, he said that the national unity government does not mean a coalition government, adding that the creation of such system will hinder the progress of the country.

He clarified that the formation of a national unity government "does not mean ‎a share of power."

"My plea to the opposing team is that they must not insist on the creation of a coalition government as it is not well for the country," said Massoud. "We do not believe in the creation of a coalition government.

Spokesman for Ghani-Ahmadzai's campaign, Faizullah Zaki, said that Massoud's comments are not reflective of Ghani-Ahmadzai and his team.

"Mr. Ahmad Zia Massoud is a respected member of our campaign team, but his remarks today were his personal opinion," said Zaki. "We are still standing by our commitments."

His comment comes a day after the United Nations (UN) presented its proposal to the Afghan election body on Thursday on the criteria for the recount and invalidation of ballots.

The proposal has not been publicized, but was formed because representatives of both presidential candidates were unsuccessful in reaching an agreement on how to invalidate fraudulent votes.

Abdullah's team demanded that all boxes with 15 percent of "similar-markings" and ballots with sequential serial numbers should be invalidated, while Ghani-Ahmadzai's team argued that a sample of fraud should not affect the entire box.

On July 12, the election stalemate came to an end with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry mediating a 48-hour negotiation between the two candidates and brokering a deal to audit all 8.1 million votes cast on the June 14 presidential runoff.

Since the brokered agreement, the auditing process has been stopped twice because of disagreements on the criterion of the inspection procedure. (Tolonews)