KABUL – Afghan president Hamid Karzai has ordered a one-month delay to the inauguration of parliament after a special election court asked for more time to look into fraud allegations, his office said yesterday.
Mr Karzai promised there would be no delay beyond the new February 22nd target for forming the assembly, but by then Afghanistan will have been without a parliament for more than five months.
More than 200 members of parliament condemned the court as unconstitutional, chose a temporary speaker and planned an unofficial opening for the original inauguration day, January 23rd.
There are 249 seats in the lower house of parliament so a firm majority seem prepared to face down the president.
“It is our right, we are the representatives of our people and we don’t care what the government or the court say,” one of the group, lawmaker Amir Khan Yaar, said.
The fraud-riddled poll and months of drawn-out political infighting over the results have raised questions about the credibility of Mr Karzai and his government as rulers, and as partners for foreign nations backing him with troops and cash.
The president himself set up the special tribunal that put the breaks on parliament, issuing a presidential decree after protests by losing candidates angry at corruption and winners frustrated that they still had not taken their seats. After months without a parliament, there are fears that further waiting will fuel political unrest and instability. – (Reuters)