Afghanistan lurched deeper into political crisis Monday as the country’ s two rival leaders swore themselves in as president at simultaneous ceremonies that were interrupted by at least two blasts .
The bitter feud between President Ashraf Ghani and his former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah has raised fears for Afghanistan ’ s fragile democracy as the US prepares to leave the country following an agreement last month with a strong and largely unified Taliban .
Polls were held in September , but repeated delays and accusations of voter fraud meant that Ghani , the incumbent president , was only declared as the winner of the second term in February — sparking a furious response from Abdullah , who vowed to form his own parallel government .
On Monday Ghani , dressed in traditional Afghan clothing and white turban , arrived at the presidential palace to be sworn in , surrounded by supporters , senior political figures , diplomats and foreign dignitaries including US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad .
Minutes later , in another corner of the sprawling presidential palace compound , a suit - clad Abdullah inaugurated himself as president , vowing to “ safeguard the independence , national sovereignty, territorial integrity ” of Afghanistan .
As hundreds of people watched Ghani ’ s ceremony , two loud explosions were heard , prompting some people to flee .
There were no reports of casualties from the blasts , which mirrored a similar incident in August 2018 when militants fired several mortars as Ghani was making a speech at the palace , injuring six civilians .
“ I have no bulletproof vest on , only my shirt , ” Ghani told those who stayed behind as sirens wailed .
“ I will stay even if I have to sacrifice my head . ”
An AFP reporter saw many of those who fled return to their seats after Ghani ’ s refusal to leave the podium prompted cheers and applause .
The game of thrones has strained the patience of the international community and Afghans alike , with Washington warning earlier that the bickering posed a risk to the US withdrawal deal , which requires the Taliban to hold talks with Kabul .
Widening divisions among Afghan politicians would leave the insurgents with the upper hand in those negotiations .
The row has left many Afghans despairing for their country ’ s future .
“ It is impossible to have two presidents in one country, ” said Ahmad Jawed , 22 , who urged the men “ to put their personal interests aside and only think of their country instead of fighting for power ” .
Powered by RubiQu “ Instead of holding oath - taking ceremonies they should talk to each other to find a solution ” , he told AFP.
During Monday ’ s speech , Ghani appeared to extend an olive branch to his opponents , saying, “ Today is the day for unity we have to think about the future . ”
“ I call on … (past ) political rivals to lend me a hand and a shoulder to serve this country. Our mission is peace and ending the 40 years of war , ” he added.
https://punchng.com/blasts-as-afghanistan-swears-in-two-presidents/

Afghanistan will never failed to surprise you

what a country

We should be Suprised if there was no bomb!

A Country were Bomb is like Siren to them..

One of the President even opened his cloths to show his people that he was not wearing a bulletproof vest!

Looks like these people have adapted to bomb blast.