Afghan president vows to only transfer power through election

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said that he would only transfer power to a new administration through elections.

"The transfer of power through the election is a non-negotiable principle for us," Ghani said during an address at the opening ceremony of the new legislative session of Parliament.

"We are ready to discuss the holding of a free, transparent, and countrywide election under the management of the international community," he added. "We can also talk about a date and reach a conclusion."

Ghani's comments come days after reports emerged that the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan's reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad suggested a new format for the country's political future during his three-day visit to the capital Kabul this week.

The top US diplomat has now left for Doha, Qatar, where the Afghan government and Taliban leaders delegation have been holding peace talks since September.

The Afghan president emphasized that the constitution would determine the country's future, rather than other people's plans.

However, he said his administration understood the unprecedented opportunity for peace in the country which has suffered 42 years of war.

Ghani called on the Taliban to put a stop to violence and enable the peace talks to succeed.

Taliban leaders have said that if Ghani resigns and allows a new government come to power, they would agree to a ceasefire.

Despite ongoing peace talks, violence has continued unabated in Afghanistan since they began, with almost daily bombings and targeted killings of civil society activists, journalists and civilian government employees.