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| Kerry Brokers a Deal to Audit All Afghan Votes | |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan will conduct an audit of the entire eight million votes cast in the recent presidential election, Secretary of State John Kerry announced Saturday, a deal he brokered to resolve a tense power struggle between the top two presidential candidates over allegations of widespread vote fraud. | KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan will conduct an audit of the entire eight million votes cast in the recent presidential election, Secretary of State John Kerry announced Saturday, a deal he brokered to resolve a tense power struggle between the top two presidential candidates over allegations of widespread vote fraud. |
| The audit, which will begin immediately, will be supervised by international monitors and its results will be binding, according to the agreement announced by Mr. Kerry and endorsed by the rival candidates at a news conference in Kabul, the capital. “Every single ballot that was cast will be audited,” he said. The breakthrough came on the second day of a visit that Mr. Kerry hastily arranged to try to prevent Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power from collapsing. Both candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, had said the election was marred by fraud, but both had also claimed victory. | |
| Tensions rose Tuesday when Mr. Abdullah threatened to form his own government, raising the possibility of an ethnically and regionally divided Afghanistan just as American troops prepare to complete their withdrawal. | Tensions rose Tuesday when Mr. Abdullah threatened to form his own government, raising the possibility of an ethnically and regionally divided Afghanistan just as American troops prepare to complete their withdrawal. |
| Mr. Kerry made the announcement flanked by Mr. Abdullah, a former foreign minister, and Mr. Ghani, a former finance minister, after intense negotiations involving shuttling between the two sides and meetings with President Hamid Karzai. | Mr. Kerry made the announcement flanked by Mr. Abdullah, a former foreign minister, and Mr. Ghani, a former finance minister, after intense negotiations involving shuttling between the two sides and meetings with President Hamid Karzai. |
| The audit will take several weeks, and Mr. Kerry said he and the candidates would ask Mr. Karzai to postpone the inauguration, now scheduled for Aug. 2. The audit will begin within 24 hours, Mr. Kerry said. Ballot boxes will be flown into the capital by the NATO-led military coalition in Afghanistan, and United Nations and other international observers will watch the entire process. | The audit will take several weeks, and Mr. Kerry said he and the candidates would ask Mr. Karzai to postpone the inauguration, now scheduled for Aug. 2. The audit will begin within 24 hours, Mr. Kerry said. Ballot boxes will be flown into the capital by the NATO-led military coalition in Afghanistan, and United Nations and other international observers will watch the entire process. |
| “This is unquestionably a tense and difficult moment,” Mr. Kerry said, “but I am very pleased that the two candidates who stand here with me today and President Karzai have stepped up and shown a significant commitment to compromise.” | “This is unquestionably a tense and difficult moment,” Mr. Kerry said, “but I am very pleased that the two candidates who stand here with me today and President Karzai have stepped up and shown a significant commitment to compromise.” |
| Jan Kubis, the United Nations special representative in Afghanistan, called on other nations to send extra observers to assist with the audit as soon as possible. | Jan Kubis, the United Nations special representative in Afghanistan, called on other nations to send extra observers to assist with the audit as soon as possible. |
| The two candidates spent the day inside the United States Embassy building, holding separate meetings with Mr. Kerry, according to campaign officials. Mr. Kerry then traveled to the presidential palace to talk to Mr. Karzai. Talks had continued into the early evening without food or drink because of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast during the day. | The two candidates spent the day inside the United States Embassy building, holding separate meetings with Mr. Kerry, according to campaign officials. Mr. Kerry then traveled to the presidential palace to talk to Mr. Karzai. Talks had continued into the early evening without food or drink because of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast during the day. |
| Discussions concerned how to determine how many ballots should be re-examined for fraud and how to ensure that the audit was impartial. Both sides had wrangled over the technical details, in particular the threshold for selecting which ballots should be reviewed. | Discussions concerned how to determine how many ballots should be re-examined for fraud and how to ensure that the audit was impartial. Both sides had wrangled over the technical details, in particular the threshold for selecting which ballots should be reviewed. |
| By midday, Mahmoud Saikal, an adviser to Mr. Abdullah, said that “preliminary progress” had been made and that the campaign was waiting to see if the proposals would be accepted by the other side. But a spokesman for Mr. Ghani, Abdullah Poyan, said the discussions remained “complicated.” | By midday, Mahmoud Saikal, an adviser to Mr. Abdullah, said that “preliminary progress” had been made and that the campaign was waiting to see if the proposals would be accepted by the other side. But a spokesman for Mr. Ghani, Abdullah Poyan, said the discussions remained “complicated.” |
| Mr. Kerry had to seek not only agreement by the two candidates, but also acceptance by Mr. Karzai, who will step down after 13 years in power and has by all accounts remained a powerful presence behind the scenes. | Mr. Kerry had to seek not only agreement by the two candidates, but also acceptance by Mr. Karzai, who will step down after 13 years in power and has by all accounts remained a powerful presence behind the scenes. |
| In the first round of voting on April 5, Mr. Abdullah emerged the winner against 11 other candidates, with 45 percent of the vote to Mr. Ghani’s 31 percent. Because neither won more than 50 percent of the vote, a required runoff between the two was held on June 14. Preliminary results from the runoff show Mr. Ghani leaping ahead with 56 percent of the vote, and Mr. Abdullah with 44 percent. The turnout also increased by more than a million voters in the runoff, to eight million. | In the first round of voting on April 5, Mr. Abdullah emerged the winner against 11 other candidates, with 45 percent of the vote to Mr. Ghani’s 31 percent. Because neither won more than 50 percent of the vote, a required runoff between the two was held on June 14. Preliminary results from the runoff show Mr. Ghani leaping ahead with 56 percent of the vote, and Mr. Abdullah with 44 percent. The turnout also increased by more than a million voters in the runoff, to eight million. |
| Mr. Abdullah’s campaign has accused his opponents of conducting extensive institutional fraud, and has alleged that members of the Independent Election Commission, government officials and Ghani supporters orchestrated large-scale ballot stuffing to enable Mr. Ghani to win the presidency. | Mr. Abdullah’s campaign has accused his opponents of conducting extensive institutional fraud, and has alleged that members of the Independent Election Commission, government officials and Ghani supporters orchestrated large-scale ballot stuffing to enable Mr. Ghani to win the presidency. |
| Mr. Ghani’s team has said that fraud took place on both sides and insists that his better showing in the runoff was the result of an energetic campaign to mobilize his fellow ethnic Pashtuns to vote for him. | Mr. Ghani’s team has said that fraud took place on both sides and insists that his better showing in the runoff was the result of an energetic campaign to mobilize his fellow ethnic Pashtuns to vote for him. |
| The dispute, which has delayed results for nearly a month since the initial vote, comes amid a rise in violence around the country. Civilians are killed and wounded more frequently now in Afghanistan than at any point since the arrival of American forces, the International Crisis Group said in a statement on Saturday. | The dispute, which has delayed results for nearly a month since the initial vote, comes amid a rise in violence around the country. Civilians are killed and wounded more frequently now in Afghanistan than at any point since the arrival of American forces, the International Crisis Group said in a statement on Saturday. |
| Seven members of the Afghan security forces were killed in clashes with the Taliban east of the capital in Laghman Province on Saturday. Two tribal elders were killed in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan, electricity has been knocked out in the city of Kandahar, and a bomb killed two people in Jalalabad. | Seven members of the Afghan security forces were killed in clashes with the Taliban east of the capital in Laghman Province on Saturday. Two tribal elders were killed in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan, electricity has been knocked out in the city of Kandahar, and a bomb killed two people in Jalalabad. |
| Mr. Kerry’s mission this year was much like one he undertook five years ago for the 2009 presidential election, trying to rescue a vote marred by huge fraud and resolve differences between two candidates who were both claiming victory. At that time, Mr. Karzai was campaigning against Mr. Abdullah for a second term. | Mr. Kerry’s mission this year was much like one he undertook five years ago for the 2009 presidential election, trying to rescue a vote marred by huge fraud and resolve differences between two candidates who were both claiming victory. At that time, Mr. Karzai was campaigning against Mr. Abdullah for a second term. |
| Mr. Kerry’s task might have been even harder this time, since history has, if anything, hardened the opposing sides. Mr. Abdullah believes that he was robbed of victory in 2009, and Mr. Karzai has since overseen changes meant to reduce the international involvement in the election process. | Mr. Kerry’s task might have been even harder this time, since history has, if anything, hardened the opposing sides. Mr. Abdullah believes that he was robbed of victory in 2009, and Mr. Karzai has since overseen changes meant to reduce the international involvement in the election process. |
| At stake is the future of democracy in Afghanistan. The power struggle between the candidates had threatened to once again plunge the country into ethnic violence. Some officials here warn that such an outcome could be even more dangerous for the country than the continuing Taliban insurgency. | At stake is the future of democracy in Afghanistan. The power struggle between the candidates had threatened to once again plunge the country into ethnic violence. Some officials here warn that such an outcome could be even more dangerous for the country than the continuing Taliban insurgency. |
| “The legitimacy of this voting process is obviously at stake,” said a senior administration official traveling with Mr. Kerry in a briefing to journalists Friday evening. He was speaking on the condition that he not be named in accordance with State Department rules. | “The legitimacy of this voting process is obviously at stake,” said a senior administration official traveling with Mr. Kerry in a briefing to journalists Friday evening. He was speaking on the condition that he not be named in accordance with State Department rules. |
| “There were millions of people that voted in the first round and then again in the second round of elections,” he said. “They deserve to be counted accurately and to demonstrate that democracy works.” | “There were millions of people that voted in the first round and then again in the second round of elections,” he said. “They deserve to be counted accurately and to demonstrate that democracy works.” |