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Published September 21, 2014

July 12, 2014: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, and Afghanistan's presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani, center, and Abdulah Abdullah hold their arms in the air together after announcing a deal for the auditing of all Afghan election votes at the United Nations Compound in Kabul. (AP Photo/Jim Bourg, Pool)

Afghanistan's election commission named Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the winner of the country's presidential election Sunday, hours after Ahmadzai signed a power sharing agreement with opponent Abdullah Abdullah, who will fill the newly created position of government chief executive.

An Ahmadzai supporter -- Halim Fidai, a former governor -- said Sunday that U.N. representative Jan Kubish told the commission not to release detailed vote tallies.

The United Nations had been monitoring an audit and recount of the approximately eight million votes cast.

The decision underscores the fear of potential violence despite Sunday's deal. A senior U.S. official said the vote result is transparent but may be released slowly over fears of violence. The official insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to be identified publicly.

The power-sharing deal cleared the way for final approval of a bilateral security agreement that would keep some U.S. troops in the country beyond this year.

Under the terms of the deal, former Finance Minister and World Bank official Ahmadzai will replace Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan's president. The agreement also creates the post of chief executive, which will be held by Abdullah.

"I am very happy today that both of my brothers, Dr. Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, in an Afghan agreement for the benefit of this country, for the progress and development of this country, that they agreed on the structure affirming the new government of Afghanistan," Karzai said after the signing ceremony, which was broadcast on national television in Afghanistan and capped off by a hug and handshake between the two rivals.

A statement from the White House expressed its support of the agreement, saying in part, "This agreement marks an important opportunity for unity and increased stability in Afghanistan. We continue to call on all Afghans - including political, religious, and civil society leaders -- to support this agreement and to come together in calling for cooperation and calm."

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Afghanistan election commission names Ahmadzai winner hours after rivals sign power-sharing deal