Afghanistan’s presidential election recount draws protests in Kabul

Afghanistan’s leading presidential candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, has organized protests over a recount in elections that have been mired in accusations of fraud.

Thousands of Abdullah’s supporters rallied on Friday in Kabul, against “the presence of faked ballots” amid a controversial recount that seems set to favor the incumbent, President Ashraf Ghani, AP reports.

Results for the September 28 presidential polls have been repeatedly delayed, amid accusations of misconduct and technical problems with counting ballots. If no candidate obtains over 50 percent in the results, a second round of voting will be held.

Ghani and Abdullah head a fragile national unity government that was put together under US pressure after both leaders claimed victory in Afghanistan’s last elections, in 2014.