Afghanistan’s presidential hopeful Abdullah Abdullah has claimed victory in the country’s disputed election, a day after an initial count gave his rival the lead.
A defiant Abdullah is reported to have told supporters he had won the poll ‘‘without any doubt’‘
Abdullah has repeatedly claimed the vote was rigged, describing Monday’s preliminary results as a ‘‘coup’‘ against the people.
The early count gave his rival Ashraf Ghani more than 56 percent of the vote compared to Abdullah’s near 44 percent.
There are fears the dispute over the second round run-off could plunge Afghanistan into a succession crisis.
Washington has warned against a possible power grab, threatening to withdraw aid and security, amid reports Abdullah was preparing to form a ‘‘parallel government’‘.
