Afghan elections PHOTO: Wikipedia

KABUL – Afghanistan’s rival presidential candidates Monday ratcheted up tension ahead of the release of results, with one campaign team preparing for victory and the other rejecting the vote count in a dispute that could trigger instability.

The United Nations and donor countries have been trying for months to prevent a contested election outcome, fearing political deadlock and the threat of ethnic violence as US-led troops withdraw from the country.

But with the two candidates at loggerheads, Wednesday’s preliminary results look set to tip Afghanistan into a risky period of street protests and uncertainty.

The election crisis comes as Taliban insurgents launched a