Kabul, January 26: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, after days of rows with lawmakers, has said he will open Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament.
Karzai said he would inaugurate the lower house of parliament, Wolesi Jirga, on Wednesday following pressure from the United Nations and the United States.
The Afghan president also criticized what he called ‘interference’ by ‘foreign hands.’
Karzai had earlier announced that he would delay the opening for a month to allow a special tribunal to look into claims of vote rigging in last September’s elections.
“Some foreign hands questioned our decisions and started instigation to create crises in our country,” Karzai was quoted as telling the losing candidates in a statement from his office.
They “kept provoking candidates (winning MPs) that they should inaugurate the parliament without the president’s participation and that we will support you,” he went on to say.
Meanwhile, the Afghan president pointed out that the winning candidates should accept the ruling of the tribunal after the inauguration of the parliament.
Karzai set up the tribunal after complaints by defeated candidates following the September 2010 parliamentary elections. The final election results were released in December, but the parliament has so far failed to reconvene.
Most lawmakers want the Afghan president to scrap the findings of the tribunal.
The atmosphere is tense and the supporters of the disqualified candidates have held protests. Many claim that the vote-rigging this time was worse than the 2009 presidential poll.
The electoral chief says another election will not be possible.
About 2,500 candidates competed for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament.
The elections were held amid militant attacks on several polling stations and widespread threats by the Taliban to disrupt the vote.
——-Agencies