Lawmakers Balk at Approving Afghan Cabinet - WSJ

Parliament Stymies President Ghani’s Reform-Driven Roster of Ministerial Nominees

KABUL—Afghan President Ashraf Ghani came to office in September on a pledge to overhaul government, but after four months in office, the former World Bank official’s agenda has hit gridlock.

“The people of Afghanistan were expecting a much smoother transition,” said Daoud Sultanzoy, a senior aide to Mr. Ghani. “But it’s a natural process: the president wants to bring reform, and this reform will face resistance.”

Mr. Ghani presides over an uneasy coalition. He became president as part of a U.S.-brokered power-sharing deal with his election rival, Abdullah Abdullah, who took the post of chief executive officer. He replaced Hamid Karzai, who had been in power since American forces toppled the Taliban in 2001.

Lawmakers said they would reject the eight ministerial nominees on the list with dual nationalities. One of 

those candidate has since pulled out, and two others—including the nominees for the ministers of foreign affairs and of interior—have relinquished their foreign citizenship, government officials said.

It isn’t clear, however, whether lawmakers will accept their nominations anyway, and time is running out for Messrs. Ghani and Abdullah to reach an agreement on replacement candidates before parliament goes on recess.

Afghanistan’s political system has a powerful executive branch, and many observers and political insiders said the ban on cabinet members with more than one passport amounts to a way for legislators to reassert their power.

“The dual-citizenship issue is a way for parliament to say: ‘We exist, we matter,’” said an associate of the president.

Part of the problem, insiders say, is Mr. Ghani’s no-nonsense management style. “The culture of shame matters in this country,” the president’s associate said. “He is very direct, and often the way he treats people antagonizes them—even people who are on his side.”  Read More at WSJ

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