Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival Abdullah Abdullah on May 17, 2020 signed a power-sharing agreement two months after both declared themselves the winner of last September 2019 presidential election.
- The new deal strips Mr. Abdullah of an executive role in the government but gives his coalition half the cabinet appointments. In return, Mr. Abdullah takes charge of the peace efforts with the Taliban in a new role as chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation.
- The Reconciliation Council has been given the authority to handle and approve all affairs related to Afghanistan’s peace process.
- Mr. Ghani also agreed to the formation of a High Council of Governance, which will give major political leaders a role in advising the president in hopes of shaping a united front as Afghanistan seeks an endgame with the Taliban.
(Source: The Hindu and The NYT)
