Afghan election: Ghani and Abdullah form unity government
Ashraf Ghani becomes president of Afghanistan five months after first votes were cast

Three months of political deadlock have come to an end in Afghanistan after Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing agreement negotiated by the United States.
Ghani will become president of the country and Abdullah will work as chief executive, effectively having the powers of a prime minister, and will be responsible for the day to day running of the country.
The two opponents had been involved in a bitter battle over disputed run-off results in this year's presidential election that threatened to create a sectarian divide within the country. Ghani support is largely Pashtun and Abdullah has the backing of the Tajik population.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ghani, a former finance minister and World Bank official and his opponent Abdullah, a former foreign minister, sealed the deal with a handshake and an embrace.
A formal inauguration ceremony is expected to take place within the next week and will mark the first transfer of power in ten years as President Hamid Karzai steps down.
"This agreement marks an important opportunity for unity and increased stability in Afghanistan," the White House said in a statement. "We continue to call on all Afghans — including political, religious, and civil society leaders — to support this agreement and to come together in calling for cooperation and calm."
However, not everyone is as optimistic. "They have created a fabricated national unity government, and I don’t think such a government can last," Wadir Safi, a political analyst at Kabul University, told the New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Both Ghani and Abdullah now face many challenges including a strengthening Taliban, overwhelmed security forces, the withdrawal of Nato troops, a weak economy and high unemployment.
The deal has been described as a major victory for US Secretary of State John Kerry, who brokered the talks and got the two sides to agree to the idea of a power-sharing deal in July. The US is now waiting to see whether Ghani will uphold his pledge to sign a bilateral security agreement which would allow some US troops to remain in the country after their combat mission comes to an end this year.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocrat
Feature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?
Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlock
Feature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
The Taliban wages war on high-speed internet
THE EXPLAINER A new push to cut nationwide access to the digital world is taking Afghanistan back to the isolationist extremes of decades past
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kabul braces for a waterless future
THE EXPLAINER A confluence of manmade and environmental factors makes the Afghan city the first modern capital to risk running out of groundwater
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come