Kabul, July 8 (IANS): Afghan presidential contender Abdullah Abdullah Tuesday rejected the preliminary result of the presidential runoff announced Monday, saying he is the winner and the people of Afghanistan want him to announce the government.
"The preliminary result of presidential runoff announced Monday is illegitimate and I don't accept it. The people of Afghanistan want us to announce our government," Abdullah said in a public meeting attended by thousands of his supporters under a giant tent here.
In his address, Abdullah said that he is the real winner in the presidential election and what has been announced by the Election Commission was fake and phony, Xinhua reported.
Abdullah, who secured 45 percent of some seven million votes in the April 5 presidential election against his rival Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai who garnered 31.6 percent, also accused President Hamid Karzai, the Election Commission and Ghani Ahmadzai's team of committing fraud, warning that the country would plunge into crisis if the clean votes were not filtered from the faked ones.
In the preliminary result of the June 14 presidential runoff announced by the Election Commission Monday, Abdullah garnered 43.56 percent of more than eight million votes while Ghani Ahmadzai secured 56.44 percent.
"I am announcing from this tribune that the result announced by the election commission is a fake one and I don't accept the fake result of the elections," Abdullah categorically stated in his speech to his supporters.
However, Abdullah said he supported a united Afghanistan.
He also stated that the people of Afghanistan "voted for me and I am ready to sacrifice my life in defending the votes of the people and defending the votes of those people whose fingers were chopped off by Taliban for casting votes in the elections".
Abdullah also said people wanted him to announce his government Tuesday and the people had the right to make the demand.
"I am confident that just one call upon the people is enough to change Afghanistan's situation," Abdullah said, adding that he was ready to sacrifice his life in rejecting a government created via fraud.
Abdullah also confirmed that US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry had called him and said that the election result should be legitimate to have the support of Afghan people and international community.
John Kerry will pay a visit to the war-torn country Friday, according to Abdullah, to exchange views on the election deadlock.
During Abdullah's speech, some of his supporters demanded that he announce his government.
"Please give me a few days and I would take my decision in consultation with you people," Abdullah said in response.
"If there is any decision for the larger interests of Afghanistan, I would take that one," he added.