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| Afghanistan |
| Karzai set to become head of state |
| 2002-06-12 |
| Interim leader Hamid Karzai appeared set to become head of state on the second day of the loya jirga, but it appeared that little would get done quickly. The meeting started late, with selection of a chairman to lead the loya jirga topping the agenda. Karzai's election as head of state was all but assured when the other two contenders - former King Mohammad Zaher Shah and ex-President Burnahuddin Rabbani - bowed out and endorsed him. That left only one opponent - Masooda Jalal, a female employee of the World Food Program. Although Jalal was not expected to win, her candidacy reflected the demands of women for a voice in public affairs after years of discrimination by the Taliban. Karzai as head of state is probably a bad idea, but I can't seem to put my finger on why... Maybe it's because Rabbani used to be president and Hekmatyar was prime minister and Kabul ended up getting rocketed to rubble. Karzai at some point will have something along the lines of a prime minister... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |