Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought Parliament’s approval for his new cabinet a second time today, dropping all those whose nominations were defeated by lawmakers in the first attempt a week ago.
Karzai had ordered Parliament to cancel its winter recess so it could consider the new list of ministers and end a political vacuum at the heart of government ahead of a conference on Afghanistan later this month. President Barack Obama decided in December to send a further 30,000 U.S. troops to the country to fight Taliban insurgents.
“I request that all the lawmakers think about the national interest of the country, the current situation of the country and the desires of the Afghan people and make a good decision,” Second Vice President Karim Khalili said as he read the names to Parliament.
Sixteen people were put forward today, including three women. Of those, 15 are to replace cabinet nominees rejected on Jan. 2, and one is new foreign minister-designate Zalmay Rasul, previously Karzai's national security adviser.
