Amid Broader Political Crisis, Afghan Elections Will Resolve Little

Caroline Wadhams argues in PBS's Wide Angle blog that Afghanistan's elections will do little to resolve deeper political problems in the country.

On September 18, the Afghan people will hold elections for the lower house of parliament, or the Wolesi Jirga. 2,584 candidates are running for 249 seats, 10 of which are reserved for the nomadic Kuchi tribal members and 68 for women. The lower house, while still weak, has served as one of the only checks on presidential power in Afghanistan. Over the past year, it has asserted itself through rejecting President Hamid Karzai’s cabinet appointments and vetoing the infamous electoral law decreed by Karzai in February 2010 that ultimately passed.

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