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| Karzai cabinet nominees rejected | Karzai cabinet nominees rejected |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The Afghan parliament has turned down 17 out of President Hamid Karzai's 24 nominees for his new cabinet. | The Afghan parliament has turned down 17 out of President Hamid Karzai's 24 nominees for his new cabinet. |
| Energy minister nominee Ismail Khan, a former warlord, was among the rejected. | |
| Nominees for justice, health, commerce, economy and women's affairs were among others rejected, but Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak was re-appointed. | |
| Mr Karzai has been under pressure from Western allies to name a cabinet committed to tackling corruption, after his controversial re-election. | Mr Karzai has been under pressure from Western allies to name a cabinet committed to tackling corruption, after his controversial re-election. |
| Correspondents say parliament's rejection of so many nominees shows the depth of the political challenge he now faces. | |
| Held to account | |
| Women's Affairs Minister Husn Bano Ghazanfar - the only female in the cabinet - also failed to win approval in Saturday's secret ballot of more than 200 MPs. | Women's Affairs Minister Husn Bano Ghazanfar - the only female in the cabinet - also failed to win approval in Saturday's secret ballot of more than 200 MPs. |
| Of the 24 nominees introduced to parliament, seven have succeeded in getting your vote of confidence Mohammad Yunus QanoniParliamentary speaker | |
| But along with the defence minister, Interior Minister Hanif Atmar was another key name whose nomination was confirmed. | |
| The vote is one of the few occasions when parliamentarians have genuine power to hold the executive to account, say analysts. | The vote is one of the few occasions when parliamentarians have genuine power to hold the executive to account, say analysts. |
| Among the most well-known names to be rejected was Mr Khan, a Soviet-era guerrilla leader and anti-Taliban commander who was also energy minister in the last cabinet. | Among the most well-known names to be rejected was Mr Khan, a Soviet-era guerrilla leader and anti-Taliban commander who was also energy minister in the last cabinet. |
| Accused of human rights abuses and corruption, he is also unpopular with some because of his role as a warlord in western Herat province during Afghanistan's civil war. | |
| No-one has been nominated foreign minister so far and the post is not expected to be filled until a conference on Afghanistan in London later this month. | No-one has been nominated foreign minister so far and the post is not expected to be filled until a conference on Afghanistan in London later this month. |
| "Of the 24 nominees introduced to parliament, seven have succeeded in getting your vote of confidence," parliamentary speaker Mohammad Yunus Qanoni said, after the counting had finished, reports AFP news agency. | |
| Mr Karzai presented his new cabinet to parliament two weeks ago. | Mr Karzai presented his new cabinet to parliament two weeks ago. |
| Western officials have repeatedly emphasised that tackling corruption in President Karzai's administration is key to stabilising the country. | |
| President Barack Obama announced last month he would send 30,000 new US troops to Afghanistan, with a view to beating the Taliban. | |
| Nato countries have followed up by pledging another 7,000 troops so far. | |
| Mr Obama said he wants to begin handing over to Afghan security forces by mid-2011. | |
| President Karzai was returned for a second five-year term after last August's election, despite investigators discovering more than a quarter of votes were fraudulent. |