KABUL // Afghanistan is on the verge of a deepening political crisis, analysts warned, after the country's new parliament vowed yesterday to meet in defiance of a presidential order to delay their opening session slated for Sunday.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced he would delay the inauguration of the country's new parliament by one month on Wednesday. A special elections panel, appointed by Mr Karzai in December, had requested from the president more time to investigate hundreds of allegations of fraud in Afghanistan's legislative polls last fall.
But defiant winning members of parliament said on Friday they would open the new parliament as originally planned, denouncing the elections panel as unconstitutional.
Voters and analysts in Kabul are also worried the postponement will further instability in the country, and weaken a parliament that would have served as an important check on Mr Karzai's executive power.
"If parliament isn't seen as working, people will just come up with new, and probably less legitimate ways to seek power," a Kabul-based political analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, said in an interview in the capital on Thursday. "Everyone knows the internationals are getting ready to leave - this is a very crucial time and we need to cut our losses and move on."
Elections for Afghanistan's Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the country's National Assembly, were marred from the beginning by accusations of widespread fraud and corruption by candidates, election officials and security forces.
The country's Independent Elections Commission (IEC), a watchdog group, eventually discarded 1.3 million ballots - or nearly a quarter of the total votes - and disqualified 19 winning candidates before issuing final results on November 24. More than 2,500 candidates ran for the 249 available seats, although 68 are reserved for women.
But while the United States, United Nations and other international backers recognised the IEC's final vote tally, Mr Karzai refused to publicly acknowledge the results as legitimate.
Because Taliban insurgents, who are mainly Pashtun, threatened to carry out attacks on voters, many Pashtuns, Mr Karzai's traditional power base, were intimidated into staying home on election day.
The result was a new Afghan parliament that lacked a Pashtun majority and one that Mr Karzai saw as a potential political nuisance, analysts say.
"Mr Karzai shouldn't be delaying the work of the parliament because he needs to placate this group or this faction, he should be allowing it to move forward for the sake of the entire country," the analyst said.
Losing Pashtun candidates said they intend to cash in on Mr Karzai's promises of a piece of the political pie.
"Mr Karzai said he would make Baidar Zazai the deputy speaker of parliament, even though the IEC said that he lost," said Ajmal, a campaign worker for the Pashtun candidate in the Kabul province. Mr Zazai was unavailable for comment.
Another Pashtun parliamentary candidate from the northern province of Kunduz, who wished to remain anonymous, said in a phone interview that Mr Karzai had promised him a prominent political post if his bid for parliament failed.
Not only will the infighting add to Afghanistan's instability, but may also create a political power vacuum with dangerous consequences. Once members of parliament are certified by the IEC as such, said Nader Nadery, the chairman of the Free and Fair Election Foundation, there is no constitutional provision to remove them.
By delaying parliament, Mr Karzai is entering "uncharted political territory", the Kabul-based political analyst said. It could render the Afghan parliament irrelevant and is almost certain to deepen voter resentment.
"People are already very disillusioned by elections," the analyst said. "They're asking themselves: what has this government done for us?"
"If parliament isn't allowed to open or Mr Karzai calls for new elections, I think Afghans will probably give up on the system entirely. I doubt they would even bother to vote for parliament again."
Ziar Mal, 28, a cameraman for a Afghan television station, said he grew disenchanted years ago.
"It's clear neither Mr Karzai nor the parliament are acting in the interest of the people, the people who voted for them," Mr Mal said.
"My friends and family, we say maybe we would be better if the Taliban came back. At least with the Taliban, we knew what to expect."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
