MONITORING (SW) – Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, has congratulated Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the outcome of the electoral process.
According to an official statement, Josep Borrell welcomed that months of intensive verification and an appeal process engaging all interested parties had come to an end.
During a telephonic conversation with President Ghani, he said that the European Union has always supported the constitutional and institutional framework of Afghanistan. ‘The EU therefore takes good note of the final results of the electoral process. On this basis, the European Union looks forward to continuing the work with the new administration under President Ghani’.
The High Representative/Vice-President Borrell welcomed President Ghani’s commitment to form an inclusive government where all the people of Afghanistan feel represented. Josep Borrell stressed that the priority will now be to ensure unity in support of an inclusive peace process. The European Union stands ready to support the peace process, which is an opportunity not to be missed.
Separately, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has underscored the importance of an orderly process leading up to the announcement of the final results, and continues to stress the equal importance of national cohesion in the period ahead, noting that the election process has been a joint responsibility of all stakeholders, including the electoral management bodies and the candidates, as well as media, civil society and other actors.
Taking note of concerns that have been made by candidates and their supporters following the announcement of the final results, the UN vowed to continue its work to support the people and institutions of Afghanistan, including all political parties, providing impartial and expert advice to encourage the electoral management bodies to address the candidates’ understandable desire to have clarity on decisions taken related to audits and recounts.
‘The United Nations stands ready to welcome and work with the future administration, while reiterating the importance of due respect given to Afghanistan’s diversity and to those Afghans who bravely turned out to vote, despite serious security constraints, in their commitment to an important democratic process’, said the official statement.
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