Inauguration Ceremony of the Afghan Cabinet - 2002-06-24

The newly elected government of Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, has begun the swearing-in ceremony for its cabinet members at the presidential palace. Yunus Qanuni, the former Minister of Interior in the interim government of Afghanistan, accepted the position of Minister of Education. Mr. Qanuni had stated a few hours prior to accepting this position that he was unsure if he would have a role in the new government. Officials in Afghanistan say that Mr. Qanuni has decided that, in addition to the position of Minister of Education, he will not take on the role of National Security Advisor. So far, Mr. Karzai has introduced 28 members of his cabinet. Almost half of them are from the Northern Alliance, which is mainly composed of the Tajik ethnic group. The Northern Alliance had played a significant role in defeating the Taliban regime. Mr. Karzai has expressed his desire for his cabinet to reflect the ethnic composition of Afghanistan, but many Pashtun individuals, from whom Mr. Karzai hails, argue that he has favored the Tajik and Uzbek ethnic groups, which are the major components of the Northern Alliance.