President Ashraf Ghani’s former National Security Advisor and leading presidential candidate Mohammad Hanif Atmar at a gathering on Monday called the continuation of the incumbent government “illegitimate” and made some offers to the head of the state.
Addressing a group of presidential candidates, Atmar said the nation and the candidates are awaiting President Ghani’s decision after May 22 which he said is the end of the National Unity Government’s term according to the Constitution.
Atmar said the country would face a crisis if the incumbent government continued its term after May 22.
He reiterated that Ghani’s term has ended and the continuation of his term will beget a crisis in the country, warning that the president will be held responsible for that.
Atmar offered President Ghani to be head of a caretaker government but should quit his candidacy in the upcoming election.
“We want that a caretaker government be established. We want that if he (President Ghani) wants to continue his tenure, he should quit his candidacy and form a national committee for monitoring the election. If it is not possible, we will go for the second option which is obvious who will be its caretaker,” he said.
“If he (President Ghani) does not respect the two options, we have the third option. We will continue political pressure by bringing the nation and the political forces together,” he said.
He mentioned that all their moves would be made within the law.
“My last message to Mr. President and his respected colleagues is that your tenure has ended. The continuation of your work will prove your ‘illegitimacy’. Your illegitimacy will affect the honor of the presidency and this will pave the way for a crisis (in the country),” he added.
To accomplish their demands, Atmar said the presidential candidates would continue their political pressure on the government.
The country will face a “political instability” if President Ghani continues to pressurize the Supreme Court to extend his term.
Atmar said the incumbent government is not committed to peace and that it is trying to postpone peace until the elections to earn another five years.
“The failure of the intra-Afghan talks in Doha was a big blow to the peace process and we see the government’s wrong policy behind the failure,” he said.
The presidential candidates have consulted lawyers on the decision of the Supreme Court to extend President Ghani’s term, he said, adding that that according to lawyers, the Supreme Court “cannot interpret the Constitution”.
He said there is no guarantee that the incumbent government will not announce another delay in the presidential election, which has already been postponed two times.
According to Atmar, the incumbent government has no will to ensure transparency in the election. He says the parliamentary election was a “scandal”.
