Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah marched through Kabul yesterday to protest against alleged fraud in last week´s election, escalating tensions in a political stalemate threatening the country´s first democratic transfer of power.
More than 1,000 protesters gathered in the city for the largely peaceful demonstration but the United Nations warned that any street violence “could lead to a spiral of instability”.
Abdullah has boycotted the election vote count, pitching Afghanistan into a crisis as NATO combat troops withdraw from a 13-year war against Taliban insurgents.
The former foreign minister accused his poll rival Ashraf Ghani, outgoing President Hamid Karzai and election authorities of committing massive fraud to cheat him of his victory.
Demonstrators took to the streets shouting slogans and carrying banners that read “Fraudsters should be put on trial” and “We will defend our vote to the last drop of our blood”.
