WJ secretary, deputy candidates miss threshold again

KABUL was able to receive the required number votes to be elected on Wednesday.

Now fresh voting for the administrative positions of the lower house of parliament would be conducted among new faces on Saturday.

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.

On Tuesday, lawmakers Amir Khan Yar and Ahmad Shah Ramazan were elected as first and second deputy speakers of the Wolesi Jirga, while candidates for secretary and deputy secretary failed to earn enough votes.

Niamatullah Karyab, a lawmaker from Kunar province and Nazifa Zaki, a lawmaker from Kabul, were candidates for the deputy secretary position of the lower house today.

In today’s session, 209 lawmakers were present and each candidate was required 105 votes to win the election.

Sayed Tahir Sadiq, a lawmaker from Herat province and Abdul Qadir Qalatwal, a lawmaker form Zabul province, vied for the secretary slot. However, Qalawal received 78 votes and Sadiq 76 votes, both falling below the threshold.

Nazifa Zaki and Niamatullah Karyab, candidates for the deputy secretary position of Wolesi Jirga, also failed to win today’s vote.

Mir Rahman Rahmani, Wolesi Jirga speaker, said none of the candidates for the two positions was able to win today’s vote and the poll would go to a third round between new candidates next Saturday.

mds/ma