The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Tuesday urged candidates in the Asian country's presidential elections and their supporters to respect the two national electoral institutions as vote counting continues.
Jan Kubis, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, called on the candidates and their supporters to wait for the release of official results, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing.
He added that Kubis also counselled them against making premature announcements based on unofficial counts, which could lead to confusion.
In a separate statement, the UN Mission in Afghanistan strongly condemned an attack in the southern province of Kandahar, which killed 15 civilians and injured another five through the use of an improvised explosive device (PP-IED).
The incident took place Tuesday on a road frequently used by civilians, according to a UNAMA statement.