KABUL (SW): A number of Masharano Jirga (upper house) members on Sunday expressed concerns over the Presidential decree that is likely to be presented in the house for voting aimed at electoral reforms.
The decree has already been discarded by the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) with a majority vote. In the general session of the MJ on Sunday, the senators feared the decree aims to politically divide the electoral bodies among the leaders of the Government of National Unity.
Some members in the house went on to say that such move by the government can even go on to split the parliament in future.
Taking part in the debate, Shir Mohammad Akhundzada said that the government is bent upon replacing the electoral bodies’ members with those of their choice. “These men (at the electoral bodies) have been approved by the Wolesi Jirga but the government wants to replace them with their own men”, he feared.
Jumadin Giyanwal, another senator said more bluntly that the new electoral bodies proposed by the government would have half the men loyal to the President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and the other half to the Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah.
Meanwhile, a number of the senators demanded the Presidential decree on electoral reforms to be swiftly tabled in the MJ. Mohammad Elm Ezidyar said on the occasion that the house should propose amendments and go ahead with approving it.
The speaker Fazal Hadi Muslimyar however, stressed upon all member of the house to be present on the day of voting.
He feared that voting might get delayed since many senators wish to leave for Saudi Arabia to pefrom Hajj or Umarh.
ENDS
