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TIME World Afghanistan Afghanistan Finally Has a New President Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai signs a power-sharing agreement with unseen rival Abdullah Abdullah at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sept. 21, 2014. Wakil KohsarAFP/Getty Images Ghani Ahmadzai will serve as president of Afghanistan after signing a power-sharing deal with Abdullah Abdullah, who will become the country's chief executive

KABUL, Afghanistan Afghanistans two presidential candidates signed a power-sharing deal on Sunday that makes one president and the other chief executive, ending months of political wrangling following a disputed runoff that threatened to plunge the country into turmoil and complicate the withdrawal of foreign troops.

Ending an election season that began with first-round ballots cast in April, the election commission named Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the winner and next president. But the commission pointedly did not release final vote totals amid suggestions that doing so could inflame tensions.

Ghani Ahmadzai and new Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah signed the national unity government deal as President Hamid Karzai in power since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban looked on. It took weeks of negotiations to form a power-sharing arrangement after accusations of fraud in the June runoff vote.

The candidates signed the deal at the presidential palace, then exchanged a hug and a handshake.

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.

The deal is a victory for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who first got the candidates to agree in principle to share power during a July visit to Afghanistan. Kerry returned to Kabul in August and has spent hours with the candidates, including in repeated phone calls, in an effort to seal the deal.

A White House statement lauded the two leaders, saying the agreement helps bring closure to Afghanistans political crisis.

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, the White House statement said.

Jan Kubis, the top U.N. official in Afghanistan, said the uncertainty of the past months took a heavy toll on Afghanistans security, economy and governance. NATO said in a statement that it hoped both leaders could move forward in the spirit of genuine political partnership.

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Afghanistan Finally Has a New President