Afghanistan Names New President, Candidates Agree on Power-Sharing Deal

U.S. Department of State(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Afghanistan declared the country’s next president on Sunday, naming Ashraf Ghani as the new leader with 55 percent of the popular vote, according to Afghan sources.

The announcement comes as Ghani and runner-up Abdullah Abdullah agreed upon a national unity government deal during a ceremony attended by current President Hamid Karzai and other senior officials.

The decision ends a months-long dispute that could have forced the full withdrawal of U.S. and foreign troops from the war-torn country. The transition, deemed “peaceful,” is a first for Afghanistan since 1901, according to the BBC.

In a statement Sunday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the political agreement “helps bring closure to Afghanistan’s political crisis, and restores confidence in the way forward.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the formation “a moment of extraordinary statesmanship,” stating that the country “has an enormous opportunity to grow stronger from this recent moment of testing.”

The recent Afghan presidential election faced much scrutiny with allegations of fraud. The accusations led to a full audit of all ballots, aided by the U.S.

“Nonetheless, the final outcome of the election process is legitimate and the results will be transparent,” U.S. Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

“Although the candidates had disputes and serious reservations with the process that could not be resolved, they agreed for the good of the country to resolve the harmful political uncertainty and abide by the outcome of the election.  For this reason, the new administration has made electoral reform one of its chief priorities – a goal we support.”

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