Voting by Representatives of the Loya Jirga on the Future Government of Afghanistan - 2003-12-29

As violent clashes continue in Afghanistan, participants in the Loya Jirga are set to vote on the formation of the future government of Afghanistan on Monday in Kabul. According to news reports, it seems that President Hamid Karzai has convinced most Loya Jirga representatives that the presidency should have extensive powers under the country's constitution. Some Afghan group leaders have insisted that a parliamentary government led by a prime minister should be established to maintain a balance of power with the presidency. 502 representatives participating in the Loya Jirga were supposed to vote on constitutional reforms on Sunday, but the final voting was delayed due to the unavailability of a printed version of the new constitution. The approval of this law would pave the way for democratic elections in Afghanistan in early summer next year. Meanwhile, on Sunday, five Afghan security personnel were killed near Kabul airport while attempting to arrest a man. The deaths occurred when a suspect detonated a bomb in their vehicle. On the other hand, the Taliban, which was overthrown and dispersed following the deployment of American troops in Afghanistan in 2001, has threatened to carry out attacks on the location of the Loya Jirga in Kabul. Since the establishment of this assembly, seven rockets have been fired at targets in Kabul.