SARI PUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Abdullah Abdullah, chief executive of the Afghan National Unity Government and a main contender of the Sept. 28 presidential election, has appointed a new governor for the northern Sari Pul province, a source close to Abdullah said Saturday.
Afghanistan's election commission on Feb. 18 announced the final results of the presidential polls and declared incumbent President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani as the winner.
Abdullah has rejected the result and vowed to form a parallel government.
"In line with Abdullah's decree and General Dostum's endorsement, Mohammad Noor Rahmani the head of Sari Pul provincial council assumed his office as new governor for the province today morning," Bashir Ahmad Tayanj, a close aide of Abdullah, told Xinhua.
The security forces have remained impartial and provided security, Tayanj added.
Presidential Palace in Kabul has yet to make comment.
The election commission announced that Ghani secured 50.64 percent of the votes, winning a second term, and his rival Abdullah came in second with 39.52 percent of the votes.
More than 1.9 million out of 9.4 million eligible voters casted their ballots in the election, the fourth of such race in Afghanistan since the collapse of the Taliban regime in late 2001.
