Afghan challenger Abdullah Abdullah inaugurated himself as president Monday, minutes after the incumbent Ashraf Ghani was sworn into office for a second term, deepening a political crisis that has stoked fears for upcoming peace talks with a strong Taliban.
Ghani was declared as the winner of the election held last September, but Abdullah, who disputed the vote, held a parallel ceremony surrounded by hundreds of supporters during which he vowed to "safeguard the independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity" of Afghanistan.