KABUL - A number of lawmakers in Parliament and civil society activists have identified the continued service of acting governors and interim directors in important government offices as the primary caused behind the government's inability to address mounting security and economic problems.

To make matters worse, with just 25 days left until the end of the legal term for MPs in the House of Representatives, and no plans yet to hold the parliamentary election originally scheduled for May 2015, there could be a massive new portion of the Afghan government divested of authority and serving as a placeholder in the coming month.

On Thursday, however, legislators focused on the government's delinquency in choosing new governors for the majority of Afghanistan's 34 provinces and its delay in bringing forward a nominee for the crucial Minister of Defense post.

"Governors who have been serving as acting, ministers who have been serving as acting and now, the acting minister of defense, have been identified as the reasons behind insecurities, unemployment and poverty," Sar-e-Pul MP Muhammad Hassan Sharifi said on Thursday.

According to MPs, Masoom Stanekzai, the national unity government's nominee for the Ministry of Defense (MoD), has yet to be sent to Parliament to receive a vote of confidence. And, until that point, the government's cabinet remains incomplete.

"Governors, Minister of Defense are acting, now, the only group that isn't acting are the MPs, who will apparently become acting soon," Ghazni MP Muhammad Aref Rahmani said. "This is a sad irony, but the good news is that Mr. Stanekzai [...] will soon be introduced to the House to get votes," he added.

In addition the MoD and provincial governments, however, the Central Bank, High Court and Attorney General's Office all require new leadership, which the national unity government has been unable to provide.

The government has continuously said that the delays are the result of attempts to find the most qualified figures for the positions. However, critics have repudiated those claims, and argued infighting among national unity government factions is more likely the cause.

"I am sure that when there is no minister, decisions cannot be strict and that is why we are in a power vacuum," civil society activist Mir Ahmad Joyenda said in an interview with TOLOnews. "We want the Presidential Palace to introduce the nominee for the Ministry of Defense to Parliament as soon as possible so that a decision can be made. That way, we can prevent increasing insecurities and threats in Afghanistan." (Tolonews)