Kabul, December 08: Re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai has postponed the naming of his long-awaited new cabinet amid mounting pressure to form a transparent government.
Parliament Spokesman Haseeb Noori announced the delay on Tuesday as Karzai was expected to introduce a number of his new cabinet members to the legislative body.
“They notified the parliament yesterday about the delay. It will not happen until next week,” the spokesman for the lower house told AFP.
Karzai’s re-election as head of state came through the controversial August polls marred by allegations of widespread fraud, which prompted electoral officials to discard almost a million of his votes.
This stripped Karzai of his outright victory, but he won an easy run-off with Abdullah Abdullah after the former foreign minister withdrew because he said he could not get a fair vote.
In his keynote speech after his re-election, Karzai pledged to eradicate government corruption and take more substantial steps to fight militancy in the country.
Violence continues to plague the war-weary nation of Afghanistan despite the 8-year presence of foreign militaries following the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
US President Barack Obama has announced plans to send an additional 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in the hope of creating a distinct advantage over militants.
–Agencies