Afghanistan’s presidential hopeful Abdullah Abdullah has claimed victory in the country’s disputed election, a day after an initial count gave his rival the lead. <br /><br />A defiant Abdullah is reported to have told supporters he had won the poll ‘‘without any doubt’‘<br /><br />Abdullah has repeatedly claimed the vote was rigged, describing Monday’s preliminary results as a ‘‘coup’‘ against the people. <br /><br />The early count gave his rival Ashraf Ghani more than 56 percent of the vote compared to Abdullah’s near 44 percent. <br /><br />There are fears the dispute over the second round run-off could plunge Afghanistan into a succession crisis. <br /><br />Washington has warned against a possible power grab, threatening to withdraw aid and security, amid reports Abdullah was preparing to form a ‘‘parallel government’‘.
