Sunday, August 07, 2011 – According to Afghan House of Representatives, there is no legal reason for President Hamid Karzai to declare a state of emergency, the Afghan House of Representatives said on Saturday.
A number of Afghan member of parliament in response to comments by a senior analyst in the International Crisis Group said, based on article 143 of constitution the president could not declare state of emergency if not approved by the National Council.
This comes as a senior analyst in International Crisis Group Candace Radeaux said, continuation of stalemate between legislative and executive branches would make the president to declare state of emergency and the international forces would then have to make a choice between backing the parliament and backing the president.
Afghan members of parliament said, If the president makes his choice to declare state of emergency, Afghanistan would turn into second Syria and Egypt and President Karzai would face fate of Hosni Mubarak, the former president of Egypt who was ousted from power after months of popular uprisings.
An Afghan MP representing Kabul said, “Mr. Karzai will face the destiny of Hosni Mubarak and he will be held responsible and imprisoned for mis-governance in the past ten years. Nobody has the right to declare state of emergency.”
While another MP representing Nangarhar province said, “This is not the right of the president to declare state of emergency.”
