KABUL – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will seek re-election in 2019, hisoffice announced Saturday, as potential rivals begin jockeying for thecountry s top job ahead of the ballot.

Ghani, who was elected in a fraud-tainted poll in 2014 that was onlyresolved in a US-brokered power-sharing deal, is expected to presenthimself to war-weary voters as the candidate who can end the 17-yearconflict.

The 69-year-old acerbic academic, who has a reputation for shouting atsubordinates and micromanaging the unity government, will try to capitaliseon renewed US-led efforts to engage the Taliban in peace talks, which areshowing tentative signs of bearing fruit.

“I can confirm that President Ghani is seeking re-election next year,”presidential palace spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi told AFP.

Ghani, who chose the widely feared ethnic Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dostumas his first running mate in the 2014 election, has not yet announced whohe will pick this time round.

It also is not certain who will challenge Ghani in the April 20 ballot.

Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan s equivalent of primeminister, and former national security adviser Mohammad Haneef Atmar, whoquit in August, are among potential contenders.

Former Balkh provincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor, whose refusal to standdown from his position sparked a months-long political crisis for Ghani,has previously expressed interest in the job.

Nominations open on November 10.

The embattled Independent Election Commission (IEC) had been scheduled torelease the results of last month s shambolic parliamentary poll on thesame day, but on Saturday pushed back the date until November 23 for allprovinces except Kabul.

Kabul province s results would be released on December 1, IEC spokesmanSayed Hafizullah Hashimi told reporters. – APP/AFP