Wolesi Jirga elects first, second deputy speakers

KABUL on Tuesday, with the secretary and deputy secretary posts still lying vacant.

Ending a month-long deadlock, Wolesi Jirga members elected lawmaker Mir Rahman Rahmani as speaker of the lower house with a majority of votes on Saturday.

Previously, candidates for first deputy and second deputy speaker, secretary and deputy secretary posts failed to bag enough votes.

On Tuesday, new figures ran for the posts. Each candidate was required to collect 119 votes to win the mentioned posts in today’s session of the lower house where 236 lawmakers were present.

Amir Khan Yar, a lawmaker from Nangarhar province, and Mohammad Ullah Battash, a lawmaker from Kunduz province, were candidates for the first deputy speaker position today.

Amir Khan Yar received 131 votes and was able to become the first deputy speaker of the lower house while Battash secured only 50 votes.

For the second deputy speaker position, Ahmad Shah Ramazan, a lawmaker form Balkh province, and Sayed Ahmad Silab, a lawmaker from Kandahar province, were candidates.

Ramazan received 119 votes and grabbed the position while Silab received only 64 votes.

Sayed Taha Sadiq, a lawmaker form Herat province, Abdul Qadir Qalatwal, from Zabul and Khadija Ilham, a lawmaker from Kapisa province, contested the secretary post but none was able to receive the required number of votes.

Ahmad Shah Ramzan said a second round of voting for the secretary post would be held between Qalatwal and Sadiq tomorrow (Wednesday).

Nazifa Zaki, a lawmaker from Kabul, Abdul Basir Usmani from Badghis, Niamatullah Karyab from Kunar and Zakia Sangin from Parwan provinces, who were candidates for the deputy secretary position, all failed to win the seat.

Ramazan said a second round of vote for the deputy secretary would be between Zaki and Karyab who secured highest votes today.

mds/ma

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