Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged on Wednesday to ensure delayed parliamentary elections that had been due in April are held as soon as possible. Diplomats He gave few details but said he would soon appoint the electoral commission needed to oversee the vote. "We are all making serious efforts so that this is prepared. the independent election commission will be formed in the coming days," he said. Afghanistan's constitution provides for a relatively strong presidency and a weaker parliament, but the assembly is to present an important check on presidential powers. Parliamentary elections were to have been held alongside the presidential polls in June last year. While the election for the president was put off until October, the polls for deputies for the national assembly were put back until April due to the slow pace of disarming militias loyal to regional warlords. The April date has already slipped since Karzai has yet to issue a decree defining constituencies and which should be completed at least 120 days before the polls.
While the UN-sponsored body overseeing the disarmament of the militias says it has almost completed the confiscation of heavy weapons, Afghanistan is awash with guns after 25 years of war and powerful warlords still hold considerable sway. Other problems dogging the elections include a shortage of funds, organising refugee voting and registering voters missed on the last electoral roll. Some diplomats say the parliamentary polls could now be delayed until as late as July.