Kerry unveiled the breakthrough deal yesterday night, with both hopefuls promising to abide by the results of the audit, followed by plans for the winner to form a government of national unity with participation of the losing side.
The agreement followed a marathon series of shuttle meetings between the two candidates who took part in the June 14 runoff former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
With many Afghans saying the deal exceeded their expectations from Kerry's two-day mediation, the chairman of the country's Independent Election Commission told reporters at a news conference that the commission is ready to start auditing all 8 million votes cast from 23,000 polling station within a few days and hopes to complete the process in three weeks.
Money dealers said that the value of the Afghan currency improved after the deal, and ordinary Afghan citizens in the capital and political leaders were univocal in their praise although some cautioned that it must still be implemented and that the way ahead is still difficult.
Audits can take place around the clock, with an aim of getting through about 1,000 polling stations results per day, he said.
The deal offered a path out of the impending political crisis in Afghanistan. Until Kerry stepped in, aided by UN representative Jan Kubis, both candidates had been claiming victory and even were talking of setting up competing governments.
There had been fears that a falling out between supporters of Ahmadzai and Abdullah could lead to civil war in a country already contending with a serious threat from Taliban fighters, who are in the midst of a summer offensive.