Monday, August 15, 2011 – According to reports, The United Nations is quietly pushing a plan aimed at bringing an end to the current chaos between the legislative and executive branches and to avoid the country sinking into a constitutional crisis.

According to two international officials speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, the UN is pressing the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to unseat 17 lawmakers.

One of the International officials said, “Once the Independent Election Commission makes its announcement, the entire international community will be in lockstep supporting the IEC decision.”

Meanwhile, a senior US official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, has said the US will support whatever the IEC decides, but it will not support the UN plan.

This comes as President Hamid Karzai ordered the formation of a special tribunal to investigate fraud allegations in the elections, weeks after the final results of parliamentary elections announced by the IEC.

The issue between the government and Afghan parliament escalated after the completion of its probe, the special tribunal ruled that 62 lawmakers should be unseated, but IEC chairman Fazl Ahmad Manawi refused to recognise the tribunal’s authority.

The move of President Karzai was described as a maneuver to insert his supporters into the parliament, which was swept by opposition lawmakers in September parliamentary elections.

In the meantime, Afghan president Hamid Karzai last week dissolved the special tribunal and assigned the IEC to have the final say about the election impasse.

But the UN plan could not be left without backlash.

Meanwhile, a number of Afghan Lawmakers have warned that unseating of a single lawmaker in the house would mean huge demonstrations on to the streets that could result in violence.

Sediqa Mubarez, an Afghan member of parliament representing eastern Wardak province said, “We will not accept at any price any change in the membership of the parliament,” adding, “The protests will move beyond the parliament’s walls into the streets and even to the palace.”

The plan could also ruin the IEC’s credibility as an independent electoral body, because it has already confirmed the results of last year’s vote.

Author


  • Ahmad Shah Ghani Zada is the former Senior Editor of Khaama Press Agency who managed and overlooked the English edition. He is occasionally contributing stories to the agency.