Deputy speaker election deadlock persists

KABUL (PAN):  Parliamentarians on Wednesday failed to elect the second deputy speaker of the Wolesi Jirga or lower house of the Parliament.

Lawmakers Ghulam Farooq Majrooh, Saleh Mohammad Saljuqi, Nafisa Azimi, Shah Gul Razaee and Ahmad Shah Ramazan ran for the slot in the third round of election, in the third consecutive day.

The voting process, in which Ahmad Shah Ramazan got 59 votes and Shah Gul Razaee 55 votes started at 11am this morning. Before the voting process got under way, each candidate was given a chance for five minutes to explain their plans and views to the present MPs.

In the second round of today’s election Ramazan received 75 votes and Razaee received 80 votes, but both of the parliamentarians were not able to get the needy votes and they failed to be elected as deputy speaker of the house.

In the third round of elections, which took place on Tuesday Ahmad Behzad and Jafar Mihdavi, failed to secure the minimum number of votes required for success.

Haji Abdul Zahir Qadir from Nangarhar has been elected as first deputy speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, lawmaker from Parwan, Abdul Satar Khawasi, as secretary and Farhad Azimi as deputy secretary.

Under Article 87 of the Constitution, both houses of Parliament elect from amongst their members a chairman of the administrative board, with first and second deputy speakers and two lawmakers as the board’s secretary and deputy for a year.

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