KABUL: Afghanistan’s president-elect promised to end political strife and corruption in a speech on Monday, his first since signing a power-sharing agreement with his rival aimed at bringing months of turmoil to a close.

“Afghanistan’s stability is most important for us,” former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani said in his address at the presidential palace in Kabul. “Let’s build up this nation and put the past behind us.”

Ghani was named president-elect on Sunday after he signed a US-brokered deal to share power with his opponent, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

Abdullah had complained of mass vote-rigging in June’s run-off ballot, and the rivalry threatened to destabilize the country just as most foreign troops prepare to leave.

Under the terms of the unity deal, Ghani will share power with a chief executive proposed by Abdullah. The two will share control over who leads key institutions such as the army and other executive decisions.

Ghani’s administration must now forge a government after much acrimony as well as deal with an emboldened Taleban insurgency.

The Taleban on Monday dismissed the agreement for a unity government as a “sham” orchestrated by the United States, and they vowed to press on with their war against the Afghan government and US and allied forces backing it.

“Installing Ashraf Ghani and forming a bogus administration will never be acceptable to the Afghans,” Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement e-mailed to journalists.

“The Americans must understand that our soil and land belong to us and all decisions and agreements are made by Afghans, not by the US foreign secretary or ambassador,” he said.