Afghan presidential election thrown into question as Abdullah disputes vote counting --- KABUL — Less than a week after Afghanistan’s presidential election, one of the two candidates is calling the government’s vote-counting process illegitimate, laying the groundwork for a protracted dispute that could destabilize the country. --- “The process of counting votes must be stopped,” Abdullah said at a news conference, suggesting that a new body, overseen by the United Nations, might be formed to administer the process. --- That seems unlikely to happen any time soon. The international community, particularly the United States, invested millions of dollars in training the IEC, and U.N. officials suggested that the commission must complete the task of addressing complaints and counting votes. -- “The announcement by Dr. Abdullah on the suspension of his cooperation in the electoral process has come as a surprise to us. We regret this step,” said Ari Gaitanis, a spokesperson for the U.N. mission. “At the same time, we'll continue to work with both campaigns and commissions, consulting on a way forward. We believe that due process should continue.” --- In addition to alleging bias by the commission, Abdullah accused the Afghan police of engaging in fraud on behalf of his opponent, former finance minister Ashraf Ghani. -- Some perceived Abdullah’s comments as a sign of desperation after a poorer-than-expected showing in Saturday’s runoff election. --- Officials from Ghani’s campaign said the electoral body must continue its work. “The commission is not a hostage to anyone,” said Abbas Noyan, a member of Ghani’s team. --- Many here worry that a contested election could devolve into violence — a concern grounded in part in the memory of the country’s brutal civil war in the 1990s. -- “If our demands are not met, there will be serious consequences,” said Fazul Rahman Oria, Abdullah’s spokesman. He did not elaborate. -- Members of the election commission said they had no intention of halting their efforts. - More, Kevin Sieff and Mohammad Sharif, Washingtonpost