Afghans have expressed dismay over President Ashraf Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah taking simultaneous oaths for the presidency, further plunging the war-torn country into a new political crisis.
Both the leaders on Monday held their own ceremonies and formed parallel governments, with Abdullah refusing to recognise Ghani’s inauguration, as efforts by the United States to resolve the crisis failed.
Several sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the US administration, led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, had been negotiating with the rivals over the past 24 hours to reach an amicable settlement.
The situation was similar to 2014 when John Kerry’s intervention in a similar dispute led to the formation of the National Unity government after a power-sharing deal was agreed upon by Ghani and Abdullah.
However, this time the US leaders failed to bring the parties to a settlement, resulting in Monday’s unusual development. Abdullah had disputed the election results announced last month and declared himself the winner.
Read full report on Al Jazeera
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