WASHINGTON, DC—Representative Eliot L. Engel, the leading Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement regarding the conclusion of Afghanistan’s elections:

“I want to congratulate President-Elect Ashraf Ghani on his winning the majority of votes in Afghanistan’s runoff election. I look forward to working with him to advance U.S.-Afghanistan relations and peace and security in the region.

“The conclusion of Afghanistan’s presidential election marks yet another step forward for Afghanistan and the country’s leaders. Though the process has been clouded by allegations of fraud, the cooperative spirit with which both leaders worked to forge ahead through the crisis signals a new maturity. I hope the country can rally around this spirit.

“Now, the hard work begins. I wish both President-elect Ghani and Chief-Executive Officer Abdullah well, and look forward to working with thecountry’s leaders to jointly build on the progress and gains made over the past 12 years.”

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