Kabul, Dec 22 (IANS): Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has led the preliminary results of September presidential election by 50.64 per cent, the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced on Sunday.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomed the announcement of the preliminary results for Afghanistan's presidential election and commended the "Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) - for their work leading up to the announcement, " Tolo news reported.

Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, stated: "Now, all Afghan authorities and actors must demonstrate their commitment to safeguard and complete the election, and to protect the integrity of the final stage of the process."

Yamamoto said, "Any decisions taken by the electoral management bodies in the final stage of the process must have clear legal and technical justifications and should be explained to the people of Afghanistan in clear terms."

The United Nations called for "particular care and sensitivity, leading up to the announcement of the final results," said Yamamoto, adding: "All candidates have the chance to raise any concerns they may have through the appropriate mechanism and within the prescribed time, in accordance with the relevant legal frameworks, regulations and procedures".

"At the same time, the ECC has an obligation to adjudicate any complaints it receives transparently and thoroughly so the election process may conclude in a credible manner."