It is about one month that the Afghan parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, has remained closed as government is awaiting the announcement of the final results of the parliamentary elections which are plagued by alleged fraud and corruption.
The parliament was expected to be opened on March 7 when the incumbent MPs returned from their winter recess, but the expectation did not come true.
Earlier this month, President Ashraf Ghani’s deputy spokesman Shahussain Murtazawi said the parliament will open for new lawmakers.
Legal experts said the governance system will be “undermined” if the legislative pillar of the state remains inactive.
“Absence of an active parliament, in fact, demonstrates a type of administrative anarchism in the government structure,” said Arash Shahirpoor, a university lecturer.
“The Islamic Republic system will lose its concept in lack of a parliament. The National Unity Government operates under the structure of republic system and by lack of parliament, it loses its legitimacy granted by the Constitution and it is going towards ‘illegitimacy and dictatorship’,” said Wahid Farzaee, Deputy Head of Afghanistan’s Lawyers Union.
The legal term of parliament expired on 22 June 2015, but it was extended by President Ghani for almost four years.
The final results of the parliamentary elections of 10 provinces, including the results of the capital city Kabul, are under assessment the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission – which will allow the announcement of the final results after it assesses all complaints lodged against candidates or by candidates regarding electoral fraud.
“The final result of the (ten) provinces are under assessment by the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission and so far we have not received the results from them,” said Mohammad Abdullah, an IEC commissioner.
According to the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA), the closure of parliament is not in favor of the country.
“We are also worried in this regard. The results should be announced as soon as possible to open the parliament,” said Baryalai Haqjo, a spokesperson for TEFA said.
Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections were held on October 20 and 21 last year.
