Afghans Okay Constitution

05/01/2004| IslamWeb

After three-weeks of wrangling, Afghanistan's Constitutional Loya Jirga passed a new constitution on Sunday that is expected to lead to the first-ever democratic elections in the country later this year. The constitution, ninth in the history of the war-ravaged country, replaces the 1964 constitution currently in force. Loya Jirga chairman Prof Sibghatullah Mujaddedi asked the 502 delegates to stand to show their endorsement of the draft constitution that was mired in sharp ethnic and political differences. An overwhelming majority stood up to show their approval of the 162-article draft constitution. "We wanted consensus on the constitution, not voting," Afghan Vice-President Niamatuallah Shahrani, head of constitutional drafting committee, told the assembly Earlier, Prof Mujaddedi told anxious delegates that agreement had been reached on certain contentious issues. "It is a matter of great happiness that members of the Loya Jirga have reached total agreement on the constitution", he told the 502 delegates at the convention. But he declined to give details of the agreement on issues that had threatened to derail the whole process and prompted UN and US officials to make last-ditch efforts to salvage the situation. The final draft was put to vote and approved by a show of hands. The jirga was dodged by disagreement from the very outset between those, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who supported a strong presidential system and those calling for a strong parliament. The jirga was also marked by sharp ethnic divisions over official languages of Afghanistan, the national anthem and dual citizenship of cabinet ministers. Delegates now say that under the agreement reached through days of behind-the-scene efforts, Afghanistan will have a strong presidential system but the powers of the president have been watered down to make him accountable to parliament. Also, instead of one vice-president as provided for in the original text of the draft constitution, there will now be two vice-presidents, a delegate privy to the agreement told this correspondent. He said that delegates have also agreed to declare Pushto and Dari to be the official languages of Afghanistan, much to the disappointment of Pushtun delegates who wanted their language to be declared as the only official language. Minority ethnic groups such as Uzbeks have also succeeded in getting a provision in the final draft that would allow other languages, including theirs, to be official languages in areas where they are spoken. Parliament will have the power to veto key appointments while a commission will be setup to monitor implementation of the constitution, the delegate said. President will be commander in chief of the armed forces besides enjoying sweeping powers to push through his policies and legislation. Afghan ministers will be allowed to hold one passport but those with dual citizenship will have their candidacy approved by parliament, the delegate said. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Afghan President Hamid Karzai, left, shares a word with Chairman of Loya Jirga or grand council, Sibghatullah Mujaddedi during the closing ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2004. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)