Afghan President Appears to Win New Term in Initial Results

Afghan President Appears to Win New Term in Initial Results
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani speaks with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the start of their meeting inside 10 Downing Street in London on June 17, 2019. June 17, 2019. Matt Dunham/AP/Pool-File
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KABUL, Afghanistan—Afghan President Ashraf Ghani appears to have narrowly won a second term, according to preliminary results from September’s balloting that were announced Sunday, although his main challenger rejected the outcome as illegitimate.

If the outcome stands despite the complaints of ballot fraud, it could give Ghani the authority he has sought to demand a leading role in peace talks with the Taliban in the country devastated by decades of war.