Afghan lawmakers reject Karzai's Cabinet picks

Parliament turns down 17 of 24 nominees, including a controversial warlord. The move deepens the political disarray in the country.

By Laura King
LA Times
9:54 AM PST, January 2, 2010

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan

In an unexpected show of defiance, Afghan lawmakers today rejected 17 of President Hamid Karzai's 24 nominees for Cabinet posts, including a powerful warlord.

Afghanistan's political scene has been in a state of shambles for months, even as the Obama administration prepares for one of the biggest and fastest troop buildups of the conflict, which is in its ninth year. About 30,000 more American troops are to be deployed in Afghanistan this year, and senior commanders have said it will be crucial in 2010 to halt the growing momentum of the Taliban-led insurgency.

Karzai, embarking on a second five-year term in office, had named his Cabinet picks last month. After several weeks of delays, his choices finally came up for a confirmation vote today. When Karzai first unveiled his lineup, it drew a disappointed reaction from lawmakers who believed that the Afghan leader had missed a chance for sweeping reforms, retaining many old faces from his previous government.

However, Western diplomats at the time refrained from strong public objections, in part because Karzai nominated what were considered reputable figures for positions considered crucial to the war effort and to the disbursement of millions of dollars in development aid. Under heavy international pressure over corruption, he also jettisoned two ministers who were embroiled in major money scandals.

(More here.)