Afghan Leader Ghani Officially Registered as Presidential Candidate

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced on Sunday that he had officially registered as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election.

"I am honoured to register my nomination alongside @AmrullahSaleh2 & @VPdanesh for July elections. As a team of state builders, our focus will remain to be on building a strong, self-reliant state. In that effort, we won't compromise the state's legitimacy in service to our people," Ghani said via his official Twitter feed.

I am honored to register my nomination alongside @AmrullahSaleh2 & @VPdanesh for July elections. As a team of state builders, our focus will remain to be on building a strong, self-reliant state. In that effort, we won’t compromise the state’s legitimacy in service to our people. pic.twitter.com/PmcOzxh05Q

— Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) 20 января 2019 г.

​Amrullah Saleh, who has been serving as the country's interior minister for around a month, resigned on Saturday to run alongside Ghani as the candidate for the first vice president. Sarwar Danesh, in turn, will seek re-election as the country's second vice president.

At least ten other politicians have registered for the race so far, according to local media.

At the end of last year, the Afghan Independent Election Commission said that the election would be held on July 20, three months later than initially planned. Sunday marks the last day when candidates can still enter the presidential race.