KABUL // Ashraf Ghani was sworn in as Afghanistan’s new president on Monday, replacing Hamid Karzai in the country’s first democratic transfer of power since the 2001 US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban.
Moments after Mr Ghani took the oath, he swore in his election challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, as chief executive, fulfilling a political pledge he had taken to share power.
The appointment also aimed to diffuse election tensions that had threatened to spark violence between the country’s north and south.
Mr Ghani’s government will sign a long-delayed deal today to allow about 10,000 US troops to stay in Afghanistan into next year, an adviser to the new president said.
The bilateral security agreement became a symbol of frayed US-Afghan ties when Mr Karzai refused to sign the deal last year, infuriating Washington and other international allies.
In his first speech, Mr Ghani called on the Taliban and other militants to join the country’s political process and lay down their weapons. At least 12 civilians and police officers were killed in violence yesterday.
“We are tired of war,” said Mr Ghani in a televised address. “Our message is peace, [but] this doesn’t mean we are weak.”
Mr Ghani, a former World Bank official and Afghan finance minister, wore a dark black turban popular in the country’s south as he swore in his two vice presidents and Mr Abdullah.
Mr Abdullah, a former foreign minister, thanked Mr Karzai for his service and the Afghan people for casting millions of votes, despite Taliban threats of attack designed to thwart the election process.
"We are committed as one in the national unity government," said Mr Abdullah. "Our commitment will be fulfilled together as a unified team to create national unity."
Mr Ghani congratulated Mr Karzai for a peaceful and democratic transition of power, and thanked Mr Abdullah for making a national unity government possible.
Mr Karzai – the only president Afghanistan and the West have known since the 2001 invasion – smiled as he greeted his presidential guards entering the palace.
The former president has said he is glad to be stepping down after more than a decade of what the US ambassador recently said was one of the most difficult jobs in the world.
For Afghans watching the inauguration, that threat of violence and insecurity remained one of their top concerns.
“I hope Ashraf Ghani can bring peace and the rule the law in Afghanistan, as former Afghan president Hamid Karzai could not bring peace,” said Abdul Rahman, a 30-year-old police officer. “Our people have been suffering from the instability and poverty.”
The inauguration caps an election season lasting almost six months, that started with the casting of ballots in April. A run-off election in June between Mr Ghani and Mr Abdullah stretched on for weeks after both sides levelled charges of fraud.
The United Nations helped to carry out what it described as the most thorough recount in its history, a count that reduced Mr Ghani’s vote from 56 per cent to 55 per cent, but still gave him the lead.
But the real power struggle took place in marathon talks between the two sides, often brokered by US secretary of state John Kerry and other US officials. The political deal the sides agreed to created the new position of chief executive, that Mr Abdullah will now fill.
Even as the inauguration unfolded in the heavily guarded presidential palace, two bomb attacks took place on the road connecting the country’s main airport with the palace.
One roadside bomb did not result in any deaths or injuries, but a second attack by a suicide bomber about a kilometre from the airport killed six or seven people, police said.
A bigger attack took place in the eastern province of Paktia. Police captain Mohammed Hekhlas said a car bomb exploded near a government compound during an attack by gunmen, sparking an exchange of fire that killed seven Taliban militants. Another police official said four officers and two civilians were also killed.
The inauguration took place eight days after the political deal signed between Mr Ghani and Mr Abdullah.
The US was represented by John Podesta, counselor to president Barack Obama. Other notable guests included Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain and Indian vice president Mohammad Hamid Ansari.
* Associated Press