KABUL, Afghanistan - Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah said on Monday he would not accept the results of the election audit which is widely believed to deliver the victory to rival former finance minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.

Abdullah claimed he already beat Ahmadzai twice - first in the initial ballot in April and again in the June runoffs. He alleged election authorities ignored due process and overlooked the widespread fraud as they prepared to declare his rival as the winner.

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The second electoral audit is expected to conclude later this week after weeks of recounting votes and weeding out fraudulent ballots.

The audit was arranged and mutually agreed upon by both sides in July after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stepped in to assist the already-fragile state of the political process. Both Abdullah and Ahmadzai assured they would respect the results of the audit.

The two candidates also agreed that whoever succeeded outgoing president Hamid Karzai would establish a unity government, with the losing side also participating in the process, The Associated Press reported.

But it appears the second premise is also in danger of falling short. Abdullah said talks on the formation of a unity government have stalled. Both sides are deadlocked on how much power the government's chief executive should be granted, he added.

The United States confirmed on Monday that Kerry had spoken to the two candidates but declined to give further details.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said part of the United Nations-administered audit has been completed but the process still has a long way to go. She added that communication with both candidates is ongoing to resolve the situation.

Meanwhile, Ahmadzai supporter Kabir Ranjbar accused Abdullah of being a sore loser, adding that the latter should honor the results of the audit which was done with U.N. and international oversight.

The U.S. has been hoping for a smooth transfer of power as foreign allies prepare to fully withdraw its troops by the end of 2014. Washington has agreed to leave 10,000 of its troops in Afghanistan to assist counterterrorism efforts under the condition of a signed security agreement.

While incumbent president Karzai has refused to sign the agreement, both candidates expressed intent to sign however one of them must be sworn in first.

TagsAfghanistan presidential elections, Abdullah Abdullah, Ashraf Ghani, John Kerry, Afghanistan, U.S. troops in Afghanistan, election audit