Afghanistan, May 16 -- The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has welcomed the finalization of the Kabul parliamentary election results and has urged the Afghan authorities to turn their attention to preparing for the Sptember presidential elections.

"We urge the IEC to turn its attention to preparing for the September presidential election, including putting forward a budget request aligned with an appropriate operational plan, hiring and training sufficient staff to complete voter registration and preparations, and coordinating with the security ministries," the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said in a statement.

"Afghan people deserve the opportunity to choose their next leadership through transparent elections in September," the statement said, adding th...