Afghanistan's Loya Jirga, or Grand Assembly, passed a new constitution by consensus today, paving the way for the country's first full democratic elections later this year.
After weeks of wrangling over the powers of the president, assembly chairman Mr Sibghatullah Mojaddidi asked delegates to stand to show their endorsement of the constitution.
An overwhelming majority did so, signifying its adoption. "We wanted consensus on the constitution, not voting," Afghan vice-president Mr Nematuallah Shahrani, the head of constitutional drafting committee, told the assembly.