Finally, after one year of dispute and hue and cry, eight new members of parliament were sworn in under a tense security situation and heavy presence of police force around the so-called House of Nation or National Assembly. Under immense pressure by President Hamid Karzai, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) last month after almost one year, replaced nine sitting MP's with other nine failed candidates from different provinces.
The IEC's decision was supported by president Karzai and UNAMA but Wolesi Jirga rejected the decision as unconstitutional and illegal. However, some MP's believe that this decision could be the only solution to the lingering and simmering controversy and crisis. Afghanistan went through its second parliamentary election on September 18, 2010.
This was the second election run by Afghan institution and led by Afghans. But after one year the crisis continues to plague the relations between the three organs of the state over the parliamentary election results.
The ongoing controversies, which mainly stem from political motives and games, deal a great blow to democratic consolidation in the country. In the meanwhile, the political elite does not respect the votes and will of Afghan people as well as the sacrifices they gave to brave Taliban and insurgents' attacks to turn out on the Election Day across the country.
They pursue their own vested and tribal interests. Unfortunately, president Karzai himself was also elected in a fraud-tainted election. It was the President who brought about all these problems by refusing to accept the results announced by the IEC and ECC.
He unconstitutionally established the Special Election Tribunal, which came up with a list of its own 62 winners. Now that only 9 candidates have been announced as winners and eight of them have been sworn in without quorum in the parliament and police force has prevented about 60 and 70 MP's from entering the parliament, there could be further tension because the 62 MP's appointed by Special Tribunal will continue to ask for the implementation of the Tribunal's decision and the 9 people who have been members of parliament for almost one year based on IEC's last year decision will also refuse to abandon their seats silently.
A president with inadequate legitimacy and a controversial parliament will not augur well for the future of Afghanistan if it is going to be a democratic, pluralistic, multi-voice, tolerant and peaceful country.