News Analysis: Stalemate over electing speaker to prolong Afghan parliamentary crisis

Abdul Haleem, Zhang Jianhua
Friday, 11-February-2011

 

KABUL : The lawmakers' continued failure over the past two weeks to elect speaker Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of Afghan parliament, has reached to deadlock as none of the contesters has bagged majority votes to secure the slot.

The third round of voting to elect house speaker was held Tuesday but ended in fiasco as none of the leading candidates was able to secure 50 percent+1 votes of the 249-seat Lower House.

In Tuesday's voting two candidates namely Amanullah Paiman and Abdul Qayum Sajadi secured 69 votes and 87 votes respectively in the 249-seat House, forcing the lawmakers to vote for a forth time on Saturday to elect house speaker, interim speaker of the house Mohammad Sarwar Usmani announced after wrapping up the noisy session.

Among the votes counted in Tuesday voting there were 40 white votes and 39 invalids that had erupted controversy. Some MPs had proposed that the white votes should be divided between the two candidates and anyone garner more deserve to become speakers; while other MPs disputed, saying white votes means that vote owners favor none.

President Hamid Karzai inaugurated the Lower House on Jan. 26 more than four months after holding parliamentary elections.

Afghanistan's second parliamentary election in the post-Taliban nation was held on Sept. 18 and the result was announced on Nov. 24, 2010.

In the first round of the race, held on Jan. 29, Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayaf, a former anti-Soviet Union and anti-Taliban resistance leader and his rival Mohammad Yunus Qanooni -- an ex- friend to Sayaf and former house speaker had secured 119 and 116 votes respectively.
To overcome the standstill, faced the Lower House at the moment, would take more times, observers believe.

"Overcoming the deadlock requires modifying the constitution and modifying constitution needs proposal of one third of house and backing by two third of lawmakers," an analyst and parliamentarian Mohammad Farhad Azimi told a television panel discussion.

He also asserted that besides the failed candidates would attempt to sabotage the next election process for, adding "both the government and opposition have their own role in electing the house speaker."

Another problem that the Wolesi Jirga or Lower House is facing is the setting up of a special court, constituted by President Karzai to investigate fraud allegations leveled against some now- seated parliamentarians.

Although, the parliamentarians have challenged the legality of the special court, the legally controversial body has already implicated three sitting legislators for alleged involvement in fraud and vote rigging; while MPs enjoy immunity. It is unclear what impact the special court's ruling would have on the sitting legislators.

Another political observer Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai said in the television panel discussion that "Involvement of certain circles in government has caused the current crisis in parliament."

With this perspective and controversies, electing speaker of Lower House would take more days if not weeks.

Afghan parliament is made up of two chambers -- Wolesi Jirga or Lower House and Mushrano Jirga or Upper House or Senate.
Mushrano Jirga or Senate is a 102-member house. One third or 34 members of the chamber are appointed by the President according to Afghan constitution. However, the house has already elected its chairman, deputy chairman, secretary and deputy secretary; while President Karzai has yet to appoint selected senators.

Wolesi Jirga has to pass bills, approve national budget, give vote of confidence to ministers, head of independent government bodies and legalize the presence of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan as proposed by some circles.

Still seven ministries out of all the 25 ministries are run by acting ministers and the Finance Ministry is expected to soon present the annual budget for Afghanistan's 1390 fiscal year begins from March 21, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

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