Afghanistan Elections: Abdullah refuses to Concede, Protests Erupt charging Fraud

http://www.juancole.com/2014/06/afghanistan-elections-charging.html

Afghanistan Elections: Abdullah refuses to Concede, Protests Erupt charging Fraud
By contributors | Jun. 21, 2014
By Frud Bezhan via RFE/RL

KABUL — As allegations of fraud in Afghanistan’s runoff election pile up, protest movements have mobilized against what they see as systematic vote-rigging.

Two groups have taken the lead in protesting the June 14 presidential vote, holding separate demonstrations and sit-ins in several locations around Kabul. In various events that began on June 20, each has said it would not accept the results of the election and demanded an investigation into the actions of the country’s electoral bodies, which they accuse of engaging in electoral fraud.

The demands mirror those made by presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, who has said the election process is no longer “legitimate.” Abdullah has accused the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai of orchestrating the election to favor his rival, Ashraf Ghani. Abdullah has also warned that any looming “crisis” is out of his hands.

The developments come amid unofficial returns that indicate that Ghani is poised to pull off an unexpected upset and win the election by as many as 1 million votes.