The resistance fighter who was commemorated on Tuesday, Ahmed Shah Massoud, was the leader of the Northern Alliance when he was assassinated by Al Qaeda 13 years ago, two days before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mr. Abdullah was one of his aides, and Mr. Abdullah’s strongest supporters are among former Northern Alliance members, especially those from the Panjshir Valley, where Mr. Massoud was from.

“Our government is over and we want the new government,” Mr. Karzai said during his speech. “The new government can be created for us with the help of Dr. Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani. Unity between these two could succeed, and if it happened today, that could be an everlasting benefit to the country.”

“God willing, we will have the new government in the coming week” if the two candidates can make a deal, Mr. Karzai said in his speech. He urged the crowd to “call on them to reach a result, call on them quickly and loudly.”

Instead, when a widely respected elder named Sibghatullah Mujadeddi took the podium, the crowd — dominated by men from the Panjshir Valley — erupted in shouting and booing, apparently angered by Mr. Mujadeddi’s high-profile support for Mr. Ghani during the presidential campaign. Mr. Abdullah tried unsuccessfully to quiet them, and the government-run Radio Television Afghanistan, which was broadcasting the event nationally, cut off the sound for several minutes.

Even Mr. Massoud’s brother, Ahmed Wali Massoud, an Abdullah supporter, was unable to quiet the crowd, which he scolded for showing disrespect to Mr. Mujadeddi. The event was finally canceled altogether.