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Afghan MPs reject 17 out of 24 cabinet nominees
[Al Arabiya Latest] The Afghan parliament on Saturday dealt President Hamid Karzai a painful political blow when they rejected 17 out of 24 of his cabinet nominees, including several close allies and former guerrilla commander Ismail Khan.The justice, commerce, energy, economy, public health and communications portfolios are among those still open after parliamentarians made full use of a rare opportunity for a public slap in the face for Karzai. "Karzai was unsuccessful before the presidential election and he is unsuccessful after the election. His choice and his decision is not correct for parliament and it is not correct for the country," said Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, a former prime minister. "The president should now resign, he must resign." Cabinet approvals are one of the few areas where parliament has genuine power to hold the government's executive to account. At a time when security and corruption problems are worsening dramatically, representatives appear to have been relishing that influence, quizzing ministers for over a week on past policy and future plans. The secret ballot system raised speculation about ministers buying votes but also may have encouraged votes against powerful figures such as Khan. Parliament stayed open for about six extra hours to finish the laborious processing of votes. Many ministers had considered the confirmation proceedings little more than a formality, but they turned into tense political drama. Posted by: Fred 2010-01-03 |
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