Afghan President inaugurates new Parliament
KABUL: President Hamid Karzai swore in the country's new Parliament on Wednesday in a ceremony that marked the end of a drawn-out battle over whether the lawmakers would be able to start work despite ongoing investigations into electoral fraud.
It is still unclear whether a disputed tribunal looking into allegations of misconduct will be able to change the results of the September elections, but the 249 members of the lower house will now be able to start work immediately, rather than waiting until late February as Karzai had ordered last week.
Wednesday's ceremony opened with the national anthem and a recitation from the Quran. Karzai then delivered a speech to lawmakers, telling them he hoped they would be productive and reminding them that their election wins are still disputed by many.
"I wish success for all the lawmakers and I wish, according to our constitution, that all three pillars of our government fulfill their duties for a prosperous and stable Afghanistan," Karzai said.
"There are a lot of questions that we need to respond to about the parliamentary election," he added.
He then led the lawmakers in their oath, in which each placed a hand on a Quran while pledging to fulfill their duties.
Today's swearing-in was seen as a victory for the lawmakers, who forced Karzai to back down from a plan to delay the opening session by one month to allow judicial investigations into fraud to finish.
The legislators won the concession by threatening to start their work this past Sunday - the date originally scheduled for the session to open - without Karzai's endorsement.
It is still unclear whether a disputed tribunal looking into allegations of misconduct will be able to change the results of the September elections, but the 249 members of the lower house will now be able to start work immediately, rather than waiting until late February as Karzai had ordered last week.
Wednesday's ceremony opened with the national anthem and a recitation from the Quran. Karzai then delivered a speech to lawmakers, telling them he hoped they would be productive and reminding them that their election wins are still disputed by many.
"I wish success for all the lawmakers and I wish, according to our constitution, that all three pillars of our government fulfill their duties for a prosperous and stable Afghanistan," Karzai said.
"There are a lot of questions that we need to respond to about the parliamentary election," he added.
He then led the lawmakers in their oath, in which each placed a hand on a Quran while pledging to fulfill their duties.
Today's swearing-in was seen as a victory for the lawmakers, who forced Karzai to back down from a plan to delay the opening session by one month to allow judicial investigations into fraud to finish.
The legislators won the concession by threatening to start their work this past Sunday - the date originally scheduled for the session to open - without Karzai's endorsement.
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