Failed WJ candidates warn to create parallel parliament

KABUL candidates on Sunday warned of creating ‘a parallel parliament’ in case the lawmakers failed to resolve the ongoing conflict over speaker’s slot.

On May 16, the election for the speaker slot became controversial after one vote polled for Mir Rahman Rahmani was declared invalid.

Rahmani had bagged 123 votes — one vote short of the required threshold      against his opponent Kamal NasirUsoli who collected more than 50 votes.

The lawmakers have since been unable to reach an agreed roadmap regarding the one controversial vote which Rahmani’s supporters termed valid.

On Wednesday, scuffles broke out in Wolesi Jirga between lawmakers as part of the ongoing dispute over the speaker position and led to suspension of the house live broadcast.

As the conflict continued, the ‘Political Movement’ of unsuccessful Wolesi Jirga candidates from different provinces on Sunday came hard on the newly elected parliament.

 Mohammad Tahir Rustami, a member of the movement, criticized the ongoing Wolesi Jirga conflict and said from the past one month, the lawmakers had been unable to elect their chairman, then how they would address the country’s issues and challenges.

He said a number of lawmakers as “traitors and corrupt” and had hijacked the country’s fate after cutting deals in dollars.

He said such legislators wanted to earn a bad name to Afghanistan. “If the Wolesi Jirga issue is not resolved, we would create a parallel lower house of parliament.”

Mohammad Daulat Katawazai, another failed Wolesi Jirga election candidate and member of the mentioned movement, said: “Such lawmakers won the election through power and gold but now to they are unable to address the country’s problems and elect their house chief.”

 He warned if the government did not take steps to solve the issue, the upcoming presidential elections would face a catastrophe.

A number of other unsuccessful Wolesi Jirga election candidates held similar views and warned of creating a parallel Wolesi Jirga.

In their resolution letter, the failed candidates called for huge reforms in the electoral bodies and urged UNAMA to create a special court for investigation of rigging in the Wolesi Jirga elections on Oct 20, 2018.

At the end, the unsuccessful Wolesi Jirga candidates warned of staging huge demonstrations across the country in case their demands were not considered.

pk/ma