The White House on Tuesday called for calm in Afghanistan's disputed presidential election and urged the two candidates to respect the process for addressing fraud allegations. Spokesman Josh Earnest said serious allegations of fraud have been raised but have not yet been adequately investigated. He also reiterated the Obama administration's position that preliminary results from the June 14 run-off vote that put candidate Abdullah Abdullah significantly behind rival Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai are not final and may not predict the outcome. President Barack Obama spoke to Abdullah on Monday night and strongly warned against unilateral actions, Earnest told reporters. "The president made clear ... that we expect a thorough review of all reasonable allegations of fraud, [and] that there is no justification for resorting to violent or extra-constitutional measures," Earnest said. "Any such move would cost Afghanistan the financial and security assistance of the United States."
