KABUL, 9 September 2003 — Afghanistan moved one step further along the road to democracy yesterday after the Cabinet approved a law allowing formation of political parties, President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman said.
“Today in the session of the ministers, the party law was discussed and was approved by the Cabinet. It will be issued by a presidential decree,” Jawed Ludin told reporters. He did not say when the decree would be issued.
While several political parties have emerged in post-Taleban Afghanistan, the government has not officially recognized their existence as there was no law providing for parties in the 1964 constitution now in use. A new constitution is set to be approved in December.
Without the law Afghanistan cannot establish itself as a democratic multi-party state, Ludin said, with presidential elections slated for June next year.
“All criteria of a democratic and pluralistic society have been taken into consideration as well as traditions and Islamic laws and values,” he said.
Political groups and factions are jockeying for position ahead of the polls; former anti-Soviet mujahedeen fighters alone have formed seven parties already.
Members of the communist parties that ruled in the 1980s under the Soviet invasion and until the 1992 overthrow of communist president Najibullah by the mujahedeen, reemerged last month in a new National United Party.
Their move, however, fell afoul of Islamic groups and Justice Minister Rahim Karimi, who said only Afghans who believed in God had the right to form or join political parties.
As communists do not believe in God, they should not be eligible to join political parties.
Karzai on Sunday postponed by two months a grand tribal assembly, or loya jirga, to approve the new constitution which will pave the way for the elections.
Karzai approved the delay until mid-December following advice from the Constitutional Commission, Ludin told AFP on Sunday.
An agreement reached in Bonn after the 2001 ouster of the Taleban regime laid out the steps to mark Afghanistan’s progress toward democracy to culminate in elections in June 2004.
Constitutional Commission official Farooq Wardak said late last month that preparations for the loya jirga would take up to four months, noting that the election of 500 members could take some time.
Each province of Afghanistan will elect representatives to the loya jirga, with seats reserved for women, minorities and representatives of the millions of Afghan refugees still living in Pakistan and Iran.
Karzai has said he would run for president if the country held democratic elections, Ludin said.
“The people want to see some confidence. People have to see disarmament at least started,” he said.
The Afghan government plans to disarm almost 100,000 warlords from different factions in order to improve security and terminate lawlessness and chaos all over the country.
On the battle front, five Afghan government soldiers were killed and five wounded when Taleban rebels ambushed their vehicle in the south of the country.
