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Afghanistan's Blueprint For Democracy
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
CBSNews

Image Credit: CBSNews.

Karzai's spokesman, Tayyab Jawad, said the Cabinet posts would be announced, not submitted to the loya jirga for consideration. "Approval is not necessary," he said.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- CBS
After days of squabbling and delays, the head of Afghanistan's grand council offered a blueprint Tuesday for the country's legislature, saying it would draw representatives from each province and include others chosen from among delegates assembled at the loya jirga.

The decision, announced by the meeting's chair, Ismail Qasim Yar, is an apparent compromise to ensure that all ethnic groups, especially majority Pashtuns, feel represented in the legislative branch of Afghanistan's transitional government.

The new parliament will also reserve 15 seats for women, Qasim Yar said.

Delegates immediately took to the microphones after his announcement to express their views, with some arguing passionately against the decision. Within minutes, the emotional uproar led Qasim Yar to adjourn the raucous morning session until the afternoon.

"Brothers, let's talk. It should go to a vote. That would be a democracy," said one delegate, Sibghatullah Mojaddidi, who briefly led Afghanistan during a rotating presidency in the 1990s.
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Dan