‘Ghani is no longer President’: Abdullah

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: Abdullah Abdullah in a statement issued said that the National Unity Government ‘ended’ after his swearing-in ceremony, and that “soon the chief executive of the inclusive government will officially be introduced.”

“Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, former president of the National Unity Government, is no longer president and his decrees and orders are invalid,” Abdullah said.

In the meantime, SediqSediqqi, a spokesman for the Presidential Palace, at a press conference said that President Ashraf Ghani had issued a decree ending the chief executive office.

The chief executive office was established in 2014 in a power-sharing agreement negotiated to solve an election crisis involving Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah. Ghani became president, and Abdullah became chief executive.

In the recent election, Ghani was named the winner by the Independent Election Commission, but Abdullah claimed victory, and both men held inauguration ceremonies on Monday. But the international community has publicly acknowledged Ghani’s inauguration and called for unity between the two.(TOLOnews)