New Afghan parliament inaugurated

AFGHANISTAN inaugurated its first popularly elected parliament in more than three decades yesterday, a major step toward democracy following the ousting of the hardline Taliban.

But there were concerns about whether the legislature will be a constructive political force as more than half of the new lawmakers are regional strongmen.

The national assembly began with a reading from the Quran, the national anthem and a folksong by schoolgirls.

President Hamid Karzai, while acknowledging the country’s problems with poverty, corruption and terrorism, called the assembly a display of unity.

“This is an important step toward democracy,” he said.

He closed his speech by tearfully saying that Afghanistan was “again standing on its feet, after decades of war and occupation.”

Also present was US Vice President Dick Cheney Cheney signed a guest book afterward.

“It’s a privilege to be present on this historic day for the people of Afghanistan,” he wrote.

The 249-seat body is made up of a mix of tribal leaders, Westernised former refugees, warlords, women and ethnic minorities, in itself a victory for a nation recovering from a ruinous civil war.

Afghans voted for the lower house in September, and also elected provincial councils that then chose two-thirds of the 102-seat upper chamber. Karzai appointed the remaining 34.