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Afghanistan parliament's rejection of Karzai cabinet picks signals power shift
The Afghan parliament's rejection of most of President Hamid Karzai's proposed cabinet this weekend dealt him a major setback and has created more political turmoil that could last months.
The decision to veto 17 of 24 cabinet nominees was described by parliament members as an unprecedented show of power by the often-acquiescent legislative body and a rejection of Karzai's tendency to dole out top positions to powerful ethnic or political constituencies.
"This outcome was a wake-up call," said Shukria Barakzai, a parliament member from Kabul. "It means the [parliament members] are thinking differently, and they want real change in the governance of the country."
A presidential spokesman, Wahid Omar, said Karzai was "of course not happy" but will respect the decision of the parliament and plans to deliberate before choosing new nominees.
"The president was surprised by the rejections," he said. "This is not a pleasant situation."