Afghan lawmakers veto five members of Karzai's new cabinet

Afghan legislators on Thursday vetoed five ministers of a 25-member cabinet proposed by President Hamid Karzai, while three ministers' fate was still hanging in doubt.

Amin Farhang, minister of economy and work, Sayed Makhdom Raheen, minister of cultural information and youth, Haidar Reza, commercial minister, Gul Hussein Ahmadi, transportation minister and Soraya Sobhrang, minister of women affairs and the only female cabinet member, were vetoed after 10-hour-long voting.

According to Afghan new constitution, Karzai has to put up new names for those posts.

The parliament did not give the final results of Amirazai Sangeen, minister of communication, Mohammad Akbar, minister of refugee, and Yosuf Pashtun, minister of rural development, as the lawmakers could not reach an agreement on the counting.

The voting on the new cabinet members has been seen as a test to Karzai, who was sworn in as Afghanistan's first elected president in December 2004.

However, the lawmakers gave green light to Karzai nominees for key posts.

Rangin Dadfar Spanta, a former foreign affairs advisor to Karzai, was approved as the new foreign minister.

Abdullah Abdullah, the last major Northern Alliance leader from the government, was removed on March 22 when Karzai reshuffled his cabinet.

The president had earlier removed Mohammed Fahim and Yunus Qanuni from his cabinet in a reshuffle in 2004.

The lawmakers also approved the retention of the incumbent U.S. educated Abdul Rahim Wardak as defense minister and promoted Zarar Ahmad Muqbal from deputy to interior minister.

Source: Xinhua