Afghanistan: Rival 'presidents' plan rival inaugurations
Afghanistan: Rival 'presidents' hold two inaugurations
(about 8 hours later)
Two political rivals in Afghanistan - who both claim they won the presidential election - plan to hold inauguration ceremonies on Monday.
Two Afghan politicians - who both claim they won the presidential election - have declared themselves president at rival inauguration ceremonies.
Abdullah Abdullah said he would postpone his ceremony - but only if incumbent Ashraf Ghani followed suit.
The electoral commission says incumbent Ashraf Ghani narrowly won September's vote, but Abdullah Abdullah alleges the result is fraudulent.
But Mr Ghani's team said their inauguration would go ahead this afternoon, suggesting both ceremonies will still take place.
The old rivals both held positions in the previous government.
Both politicians are old rivals who held roles in the previous government.
It comes as Afghanistan prepares to enter peace talks with the Taliban, hoping to end years of violence.
Mr Ghani has been president since 2014. Afghanistan's election commission said he won the election, but Mr Abdullah has disputed this, claiming election fraud.
Experts have warned the current political rivalry will "gravely affect the government's position in the upcoming intra-Afghan talks".
Mr Abdullah's team said they would be prepared to cancel their ceremony, following the intervention of US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
"Unity is the only way [forward] if they want to win on the negotiating table," political analyst Atta Noori told news agency AFP.
But Mr Ghani's team later told Reuters news agency: "The guest arrival has just started and we will have our ceremony in a few hours."
Mr Ghani, who has been president since 2014, held his inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Palace. Mr Abdullah held his at the Sapedar Palace - despite his team earlier saying they would be prepared to cancel it, following the intervention of US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
That was confirmed in a later tweet from his spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi.
Mr Khalilzad is trying to work out a power-sharing arrangement between the two camps, with people on the ground clear-eyed about what two rival administrations would mean for Afghanistan.
Both men issued invitations to their parallel ceremonies last week.
"It's impossible to have two presidents in one country," one Afghan man told AFP. "Instead of [both] holding oath-taking ceremonies they should talk to each other to find a solution."
Afghanistan held elections in September last year but the Electoral Commission only announced Mr Ghani as the winner in February.
The political showdown comes days after Mr Abdullah escaped unharmed from an attack claimed by Islamic State militants, which saw at least 32 people killed.
Mr Abdullah accused the government of fraud and vowed to form his own parallel government.
It was the first major attack in the capital since the US and Taliban signed a deal in late February, which required the Taliban will hold talks with the Afghan government.
"It's impossible to have two presidents in one country," one Afghan man told news agency AFP. "Instead of [both] holding oath-taking ceremonies they should talk to each other to find a solution."
The political showdown comes days after Mr Abdullah escaped unharmed from an attack that saw at least 32 people killed.
The Islamic State targeted a ceremony attended by top Afghan politicians in Kabul, which was meant to commemorate the death of an Afghan Shia leader.
It was the first major attack in the capital since the US and Taliban signed a deal in late February.
Under the terms of the agreement, the US and its Nato allies will withdraw their troops within 14 months. In return, the Taliban will hold talks with the Afghan government.
But experts now say the political rivalry will "gravely affect the government's position in the upcoming intra-Afghan talks".
"Unity is the only way [forward] if they want to win on the negotiating table," political analyst Atta Noori told AFP.
