Afghanistan's presidential candidates have agreed to an audit of all ballots in order to end the election deadlock, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday night in Kabul, according to dpa. The announcement was made by the two candidates - Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Abdullah Abdullah - and Kerry after approximately 48 hours of discussion. "With respect to the election, both candidates have committed to participate in and abide by the results of the largest and most comprehensive possible audit," Kerry said. Kerry met with both Ahmadzai, who was declared the winner Monday with 56 per cent of the vote, and Abdullah, who has challenged the results as fraudulent. "The audit will be carried out in Kabul and will begin in 24 hours," Kerry said. According to Kerry, the auditing process will start from the Afghan capital, and ballot boxes from the provinces will be transported to Kabul by international security assistance forces. Both presidential rivals have agreed to the deal to audit every vote cast in the June 14 second-round poll.
