New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) India has welcomed the successful presidential elections in Afghanistan, with the preliminary results in favour of the incumbent, Hamid Karzai.
The elections were held Aug 20 but the counting took nearly a month to complete.

“We admire that the elections were conducted by national institutions, unlike the previous elections in Afghanistan. This Afghan-led process would go a long way in strengthening the democracy in Afghanistan,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement Saturday.

It further said that India appreciated Afghan citizens “who participated in the election process despite threats and attacks meant to disrupt the elections”.

“In this spirit and as a friend of the Afghan people, we congratulate all the democratic forces in Afghanistan.”

The statement noted that the campaign was conducted in a democratic spirit, with no incidents of violence among supporters, and participation was broadbased across the country.

The preliminary results show Karzai has secured 54.62 percent of the votes, followed by former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah at 27.75 percent.

“India reaffirms its commitment to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries and for the reconstruction and development of a pluralistic and democratic Afghanistan,” added the statement.