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KABUL, Afghanistan Instead of breaking their months-long deadlock, Afghanistans two presidential candidates appear to be pushing their country toward the brink of a breakdown.

The political insecurity is rocking the lives of ordinary Afghans, sending crime and unemployment rates soaring along with fears of spiraling violence and a resurgent Taliban.

"Afghanistan is on the brink of descending back into chaos and civil war, Afghan lawmaker Nisar Haress told NBC News. The situation is getting worse every passing day."

Kabul property dealer Payenda Mohammad Ehsan is one of the millions of Afghans feeling the effects.

"People do not feel safe," the 62-year-old said. "It is the ordinary people who are most affected by the current crisis."

The deadlock is especially troubling for the U.S. and NATO ahead of the planned withdrawal of combat troops by the end of the year.

"Afghanistans failure would be catastrophic for the U.S. and the West, Afghan lawmaker Nisar Haress told NBC News. Afghanistan can become another Iraq very quickly and it will be impossible to contain if that happens."

The outcome of the April election was seen as a make-or-break moment for Afghanistans future, with billions of dollars of funds tied to the success of a free and fair election. The U.S. had high hopes for the vote, deeming it a critical test not just of Afghanistans ability to ensure a stable transition but also to measure the impact a decade of Western intervention had had on the country.

Former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani led preliminary election results. But after his opponent Abdullah Abdullah alleged widespread vote-rigging, Secretary of State John Kerry swooped in to broker a power-sharing deal and convince the two to agree to a recount and unitary government.

While Kerry was hailed a hero at the time, in the two months since talks to form a government have broken down. The U.S. secretary of state has visited yet again, and President Barack Obama also has reached out to the candidates in phone calls. The official results of the recount are expected next week though Abdullah has said wont respect the outcome and Ghani said Wednesday he did not want "a two-headed government."

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On the Brink: Will Presidential Politics Doom Afghanistan?