Afghanistan election contested

Ashraf Ghani won a second term as president with a little more than 50 percent of the vote in the Sept. 28, 2019, election, Afghanistan’s independent election commission declared on Tuesday. But his main opponent and the country’s chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, refused to recognize the results, as did the Taliban.

What does this mean for the country’s stability? The Taliban’s rejection could endanger its peace negotiations with the United States. The insurgent group had agreed to a reduction of violence to pave the way for a more permanent peace deal. The group called the election a fraud and continues to disdain the Afghan government as a U.S. puppet.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour on the fear and unrest in Afghanistan after U.S.-Taliban peace talks broke down in September.