Hamid Karzai still weak as Afghan parliament rejects cabinet nominees

The Afghan parliament dealt a further blow to the authority of President Hamid Karzai by rejecting 10 of his 17 new cabinet nominees.

The vote today comes a fortnight after MPs turned down 70% of Karzai's first cabinet choices.

The 224 MPs did approve two key posts – Karzai's former security adviser Zalmay Rasul was approved as foreign minister and Habibullah Ghalib as justice minister.

But only one of three female nominees was approved – Amina Afzali, as work and social affairs minister. The two women proposed for the posts of public health and women's affairs were rejected.

"Unfortunately we have some lawmakers who still can't vote for a woman, even when they see one who is very active, talented and well-educated," said Mohammad Ali Sitigh, an MP from Day Kundi province.

Karzai's choices for the ministries of higher education, commerce, transportation, public works, refugee and border and tribal affairs were also rejected.

The vote is likely to further worry the international community, which had hoped for a strong government to help keep disenchanted Afghans from siding with the Taliban.

The US and Britain have urged Karzai to get his second-term administration in place ahead of an international conference on Afghanistan to be held in London on 28 January.

Afghan MPs have complained that some of Karzai's nominees lacked the credentials to serve in the cabinet, or were too closely aligned with the president or warlords.

"The rejection of the majority of the list shows that the people of Afghanistan are not happy with the work of the government," said deputy parliamentary speaker Mirwais Yasini, an MP from Nangarhar province. "This will disrupt the work of the government and it's not good for the future and the fate of the country."

Karzai's office issued a brief statement saying he had chosen the nominees "based on their talents, expertise and national participation" and regretted that the outcome was negative.