H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan Presidential Candidate met with Mr. Alain Le Roy, U.N. Undersecretary General for Peacekeeping Operations. In the meeting, Mr. Le Roy was also accompanied by Mr. Kai Eide, U.N. Special Representative for Afghanistan.

In the meeting, Undersecretary General Le Roy mentioned that the UNAMA office in Kabul is committed to overseeing a credible electoral process in Afghanistan. Undersecretary Le Roy and Kai Eide discussed the ongoing audit and recount process and indicated that necessary preparations are in place in order to hold a 2nd round of elections, should the results of the audit and recount show that a runoff is needed.

In his own remarks, Dr. Abdullah discussed issues related to the Afghan Presidential elections as well as the developments that have taken place during the past several weeks. He also provided an update on the ongoing audit and recount process that is currently underway. In this regard, he mentioned that the ECC and foreign election experts have been very cooperative in answering pertinent questions related to this process. He added that he and his team would continue to closely monitor the process at every step in order to ensure its transparency and credibility.

Furthermore, Dr. Abdullah reiterated that it is imperative that the people of Afghanistan see that the political process is transparent, credible and actually works. This would help to preserve the Afghan people’s faith and confidence in their partnership with the international community as well as their transition towards a democratic and civil society. He stated, “With the process being preserved, the right foundation would be place for the international community and Afghanistan to make further strides towards, security, stability and prosperity”.

Dr. Abdullah also discussed ongoing security challenges in various parts of the country. He expressed his concern on the security situation and indicated that immediate measures needed to be taken in order to improve the current security challenges.