Loya Jirga overcomes divisions, endorses Karzai

Afghanistan's Loya Jirga, or Grand Council, voted Hamid Karzai in as head of state with an overwhelming majority late on Thursday, and his election seems to have won the approval of the majority of Afghans - at least in the capital, Kabul. Ashraf Ghani, Karzai's chief adviser, told IRIN on Friday that Karzai's first priority would be to consolidate peace and ensure "the security of people in every sense of the word". "The first thing would be to create and strengthen the national security institutions like the army and police," he said. Two other priorities would be to start rebuilding the country and getting it back on a sound financial footing by attracting investment, he added. Several Kabul residents told IRIN they were happy with Karzai's election, and now hoped for jobs and security. One of them, a 27-year-old engineer on his way to work on Friday, said he was pleased that Karzai had been elected. "He led the country well in the last six months, and he also got the support of the ex-king [Muhammad Zahir Shah]. We want him to bring opportunities for us to study and to work," Sharif Mohammad Ashar said. Another, Zeulah Mohammad Omar, a 25-year-old construction worker, was happy too. "I accept him as president. He did well in bringing peace and security for the people who want to work here. During the last six months he served Afghanistan well. Also, the [former] king supported him, so we are happy to have him," he told IRIN. Karzai won more than 1,200 of just over 1,500 votes cast by secret ballot on Thursday - an overwhelming endorsement of his ability to steer Afghanistan out of 23 years of violent conflict. "The general reaction to his election among people in the room and outside on the streets has been quite positive, and I think he is one of the leaders who is capable of leading the country efficiently," an American Afghan who has come home to work and was one of the monitors of the Loya Jirga election told IRIN. "The results of this six-month interim period showed that he at least secured peace in the country." The Loya Jirga is due to continue on Friday with the election of key cabinet members, although the exact manner it would go about doing this was unclear on Friday morning. However, under the terms of the Bonn agreement, which created the interim administration, all decisions the gathering takes henceforth on key ministerial positions like defence, foreign affairs, health and finance, will have to be made in consultation with Karzai. Meanwhile, the delegates are still expected to engage in some animated discussion, as the Loya Jirga will be trying to ensure that all political and ethnic groups are well represented in the government, which is set to be in power for 18 months, until a democratic election is held in 2004. There were suggestions among delegates at the gathering on Thursday that to create some balance and broad acceptance of his government, Karzai, a Pashtu speaker, would have to ensure the appointment of a Tajik vice-president, and of an Uzbek to lead the judiciary. "This would be one of the ways of appeasing all those who want a stake in the future of this country and to reduce the always present potential for ethnic war in the country," one UN diplomat said. Karzai's election was all but a foregone conclusion on Thursday. Masudah Jalal, the only woman candidate, won 171 of just over 1,500 votes. A third candidate won just 89.