Karzai suffers second cabinet setback

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan parliament rejected more than half of President Hamid Karzais second slate of cabinet nominees on Saturday, including two out of three women, dealing him a second major political blow in as many weeks.
Several key picks were confirmed, including the ministers for foreign affairs, justice and counter-narcotics, but 10 out of 17 candidates were voted down, meaning Karzai is still without confirmed leaders for over a third of his ministries.
Parliament unexpectedly threw out the majority of his first picks in a vote two weeks ago, a move hailed as positive for democracy but a setback for Afghan reconstruction after months of uncertainty caused by last years fraud-marred election.
This rejection does not mean Karzai lost his support in the parliament, it means we want to support good governance ... to provide a better social service for the people, Shukriya Barakzai, a member of parliament (MP), told Reuters.
But the second round of vetoes will prolong the turmoil at a time when the insurgency is worsening and after a year which saw record numbers of foreign troops and civilians killed.
In an embarrassing development, a government official said it had also emerged on Saturday that the nominee for the ministry of rural development was 31 years old, below the minimum age of 35 years set out in the Constitution.
Karzai regretted the rejection of so many candidates he considered well-qualified, his office said.
The United States gave a muted welcome to the confirmations, and said the rejections were an internal matter.
This is a government we can work with and we look forward to working with, said US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, who is visiting the Afghan capital.
The picks in the second round were less well-known and there was widespread unhappiness about the choice of Zarar Ahmad Muqbel, a former interior minister who international diplomats lobbied hard to exclude from earlier cabinets.
When you look at this list and the previous list also, there are some qualified people who were voted out and not very qualified people who were voted in. We all know who they are, said lawmaker Daoud Sultanzoy, declining to give names.
Karzais spokesman said he had prepared a list of backup candidates to replace any rejected in this round of voting, and a source at one ministry said earlier that he was vetting two other prospective nominees to head it.
Karzai has yet to suggest a candidate for the ministry of energy and water after his wish to retain Ismail Khan, a former anti-Taliban guerrilla leader, was rejected by parliament.
And if the rural development minister is officially found to be underage, there may also be another candidate to vet.
We dont have definitive proof that the minister (candidate) is underage, said parliamentarian Sayed Dawood Hashimi, adding that the candidate had provided documents showing he was 35.
We still have doubts about his age and if he is proven to be under 35, his case will be referred to the constitutional court for follow-up.
The rejection of two women, out of a record three nominated for the cabinet, was a disappointment to activists and women who had praised Karzai for a bold choice.
Its probably still too early to expect this much from a parliament that is led by conservative elements, said Orzala Ashraf Nemat, an activist and member of the Afghan womens network, which was co-founded by rejected Womens Affairs Ministry nominee Palwasha Hassan.