Acting ministers win vote of confidence

KABUL, or lower house of the parliament.

The assembly confirmed Omar Daudzai as minister of interior, Mohammad Akram Khpalwak as minister of border and tribal affairs and Prof. Barat Ali Matin as member of the Supreme Court High Council.

Lutfur Rahman Saeed’s nomination was also approved as a member of the Independent Commission for Supervision of the Implementation of the Constitution.

But Nasrullah Stanikzai, who had also been named as a member of the commission, failed to win the required number of votes from lawmakers.

Last week, Vice-President Mohammad Karim Khalili introduced the nominees to parliamentarians for approval. He had said it was up to legislators to approve or reject them. He, however, stressed the role interior and border ministers in conducting the elections, scheduled for April 2014.

Appearing before MPs, the presidential picks highlighted their plans. Subsequently, the 223 members present during the session voted on their fate. Each candidate was required to win 112 votes for confirmation.

As many as 153 lawmakers voted for and 55 against Daudzai, while nine ballot were found blank.  Five votes declared invalid.

By the same token, 132 MPs voted for and 69 against Khpalwak. Four ballots were found invalid and six blank.  Barat and Saeed were handed 154 and 159 votes respectively. But Stanikzai could muster 106 votes, six short of the magic figure.

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