KABUL: Thousands of supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah on Friday protested against alleged fraud in the presidential runoff held earlier this month despite the resignation this week of the election commission’s top official.

The candidate himself joined thousands of supporters who gathered in front of the presidential palace. The protesters shouted that they would not accept fraud and that Abdullah would be the next president.

Shopkeeper Ahmad Bashir said he and his entire family voted for Abdullah. “I hope the (Independent Election Commission) will stop the fraud... But if it doesn’t listen to our demands we will hold another protest. It’s our legitimate right.”

The dispute over the election, pitting Abdullah, a former foreign minister, against former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, has undermined Western hopes for a smooth transfer of power ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of this year.

Abdullah met with the election commission earlier this week in a bid to defuse tensions, after the head of the commission resigned Monday over the mounting dispute, which is threatening to derail Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power.

Abdullah has said his campaign monitors had recorded ballot box stuffing and other irregularities in the June 14 vote. Abdullah won the first round but failed to gain the majority needed to avoid a runoff in the race to replace President Hamid Karzai, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. According to the election commission’s official timetable, preliminary results are due on July 2, and final results on July 23.