KABUL (Pajhwok): The Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), led by Gulbadin Hekmatyar, has decided not to support any candidate if the elections headed for a second round runoff.
The warning from HIA, believed to be the second largest militant group after the Taliban, comes a day after the Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced 50 percent partial results from the April 5 vote.
The returns show Abdullah Abdullah’s lead over his main rival Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has slightly increased.
The former foreign minister in President Hamid Karzai’s previous term collected 44.4 percent of the votes tallied and Ghani bagged 33.2 percent with Zalmai Rassoul trailing at 10.4 percent in the third position.
Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf secured seven percent, Eng. Gutbuddin Hilal 2.7 percent, Mohammad Shafiq Gul Agha Sherzai 1.6 percent, Daud Sultanzoy 0.5 percent and Hidayat Amin Arsala 8368 votes.
However, it seems the two leading candidates will be unable to achieve the magic 50+1 percent of votes, raising the possibility that the elections will go to a second round.
The Hekmatyar’s faction supported Hilal in the elections, but now says they would not support anyone in a runoff competition.
An HIA official, wishing not to be named, told Pajhwok Afghan News they would boycott a second round runoff.
He said the decision in this regard had been made by the HIA leadership and its executive body, adding more details about their stance would be made public accordingly.
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