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Afghanistan: Parliament Makes Little Headway
The newly-elected body is at loggerheads with President Karzai over how the government is appointed.
By Amanullah Nasrat and Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif (ARR No. 207, 19-Mar-06)
It’s been more than two months since member of Afghanistan’s first democratically elected parliament in almost 40 years took their seats, but legislators cannot yet point to a single solid achievement.
Even members of the Wolesi Jirga or National Assembly - the lower house of parliament which so far has failed to win public trust, has been ridiculed in the media and aroused some hostility from the government - acknowledge that there’s been little progress.
“We have had no achievements over the past two months,” said Shukria Barakzai, a deputy from Kabul. “Our time is taken up with making deals.”
While they’ve been busy coming to terms among themselves, parliamentarians have been unable to reach agreement with the presidential administration office on how the current government should be confirmed in office.
According to article 64 of the constitution, parliament has the right to confirm the cabinet and other major appointments. And article 161 states that the government must be formed within one month of parliament’s opening session.
Parliament first convened on December 19, and since then it has been engaged in a pitched battle with President Hamed Karzai over the confirmation process.
The legislature wants to confirm each minister individually. The president wants a straight yes or no vote on the entire cabinet.
“There are both good and bad ministers in the current cabinet. We cannot accept dishonest ministers for the sake of a few competent ministers, or reject all of them because of a few traitors,” said Kabir Ranjbar, a member of parliament and prominent legal scholar.
Presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi countered, “We respect parliament as an independent body. We do not want to interfere in its affairs. We would not force parliament to accept our cabinet, but we think it is much easier to vote for a group.”
More
http://www.iwpr.net/?p=arr&s=f&o=260416&apc_state=henh
It’s been more than two months since member of Afghanistan’s first democratically elected parliament in almost 40 years took their seats, but legislators cannot yet point to a single solid achievement.
Even members of the Wolesi Jirga or National Assembly - the lower house of parliament which so far has failed to win public trust, has been ridiculed in the media and aroused some hostility from the government - acknowledge that there’s been little progress.
“We have had no achievements over the past two months,” said Shukria Barakzai, a deputy from Kabul. “Our time is taken up with making deals.”
While they’ve been busy coming to terms among themselves, parliamentarians have been unable to reach agreement with the presidential administration office on how the current government should be confirmed in office.
According to article 64 of the constitution, parliament has the right to confirm the cabinet and other major appointments. And article 161 states that the government must be formed within one month of parliament’s opening session.
Parliament first convened on December 19, and since then it has been engaged in a pitched battle with President Hamed Karzai over the confirmation process.
The legislature wants to confirm each minister individually. The president wants a straight yes or no vote on the entire cabinet.
“There are both good and bad ministers in the current cabinet. We cannot accept dishonest ministers for the sake of a few competent ministers, or reject all of them because of a few traitors,” said Kabir Ranjbar, a member of parliament and prominent legal scholar.
Presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi countered, “We respect parliament as an independent body. We do not want to interfere in its affairs. We would not force parliament to accept our cabinet, but we think it is much easier to vote for a group.”
More
http://www.iwpr.net/?p=arr&s=f&o=260416&apc_state=henh
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By Wahidullah Amani in Kabul (ARR No. 207, 19-Mar-06)
It was hardly surprising that many of the provincial councillors who attended a recent meeting in Kabul to discuss their rights and responsibilities seemed a bit confused and annoyed.
After all, the local assemblies on which they sit have no clearly defined role.
The local councils were elected along with the lower house of parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, in a general ballot held in September. And like the national body, they are struggling to define their place in the slowly emerging political process.
Part of the problem is that the constitution provides little guidance on exactly what the provincial bodies are supposed to do.
The 34 councils are elected for a four-year term by a proportional representational system based on the estimated population of each province, and they then select their own chairperson.
But the constitution is less clear about their job, and their powers vis-à-vis other government bodies, particularly the regional administrations led by governors which are appointed by Kabul rather than elected.
“The provincial council takes part in meeting the developmental targets of the state and improving its affairs in a manner defined by law, and gives advice on important issues falling within the domain of the province,” says the document. “Provincial councils perform their duties in cooperation with the provincial administration.”
In an attempt to encourage debate about the councils’ role, the Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs recently organised a three-day seminar for council members from around the country. In advance of the meeting, they issued delegates with copies of the law on provincial councils approved by President Hamed Karzai. In a nod to the country’s high illiteracy rate, the document was distributed as a tape recording as well as in paper copies.
More
http://www.iwpr.net/?p=arr&s=f&o=260414&apc_state=henh