Political tension prevents Afghan cabinet formation

Nearly three months after his swearing-in ceremony on September 29, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has been unable to form the cabinet in cooperation with the country’s Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, and all the ministries are run by acting ministers.

Following his presidential inauguration, Ghani pledged to form the cabinet within 45 days, but he failed to do so.

He once more vowed at the London Conference on Afghanistan held on December 4 to name the ministers within two to four weeks, but failed to, yet again.

Ghani and Abdullah have repeatedly promised to work together to end the political tension in the country and introduce democratic reforms.

The two high-ranking officials have reportedly held talks in order to resolve their differences and select ministers, but repeated failures to form the cabinet have created doubts among Afghans about disagreements between the president and the chief executive.

"Let us clearly state that differences, at least over picking individuals and nominating them for ministries, have disappointed people," Afghan Lawmaker Arif Rahmani said.

"A government without cabinet in fact is not a government and is an incomplete administration," Rahmani added.

Ghani and Abdullah, his rival in Afghanistan’s presidential election run-off which was held in June, signed a power-sharing deal in September to end disputes over the election results.

Under the deal, Ghani became president, while Abdullah took up the post of chief executive officer, which is similar to the role of prime minister.

HK