President Ghani, Dr. Abdullah’s Swearing-in Ceremonies Postponed

Abdullah Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony has been postponed followed by the intervention of US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, according to reports.

Abdullah Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony has been postponed followed by the intervention of US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, according to reports.
Afghanistan’s Abdullah Abdullah, who contested election results that declared his bitter rival and incumbent Ashraf Ghani as the president-elect, has postponed a plan for a parallel swearing-in ceremony, Omid Maisam, deputy spokesman for the Executive directorate told Reuters on Monday.
It was contingent on Ghani also postponing his own swearing-in ceremony, he added.

Both men issued invitations last week to parallel inauguration ceremonies on Monday, after Abdullah had disputed last month’s decision by Afghanistan’s Electoral Commission to name Ghani as the winner of September’s election.
Shah Hussain Murtazavi, a member of president Ghani’s team, said that nothing had changed and Ghani’s inauguration was going ahead as scheduled.

However, reports indicate that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Kabul last night to mediate between the two teams.
Based on national interests, the swearing-in ceremony of President Ghani has also been postponed, said Daud Sultanzoy, a member of president Ghani’s team.