KABUL (SW) – Based on the initial results for the presidential polls, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani secured 923,868 votes while his rival, Abdullah Abdullah garnered 720,990 votes.
After the preliminary results were announced, the Independent Election Complaint Commission began receiving complaints, which resulted in 22,500 complaints being filed by the protesting candidates. Provincial offices of the electoral commission investigated some 16,500 of these complaints while 6200 additional complaints were addressed in the capital, Kabul.
As per the ruling of the Independent Election Complaints Commission's filing, out of the 137,630 "suspicious votes" 10% of it from 309 polling stations were sent for special inquiry, and of the 102,012 out balloted after or before due time, some 15% from 1103 polling stations were also sent for special audit.
At the end of the special audit by the Independent Election Commission (IEC), to the dissatisfaction of the IECC, the final results of the presidential election were announced.
Comparing the preliminary and final results, Salam Watandar has learnt that the difference of only 453 votes has emerged all these efforts of in nearly two months. As per the initial results, the total number of votes cast were 1 million 824 thousand 401 votes and the final result brought it to 1 million 823 thousand 948 votes.
As a result, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani lost only 276 votes, Abdullah Abdullah lost 149 of his votes and Hekmatyar lost only one, which meant no effect on the final result.
The figures suggests that a total of 2,695,890 people cast their votes while the election commission eventually accepted the 1,824,401 votes with biometric verification.
ENDS
