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Afghanistan president announces members of unity cabinet after long delay

Iran Press TV

Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:12PM

Afghanistan's president has unveiled his full list of cabinet nominees, putting an end to three months of political wrangling that threatened the "national unity government" formed following last year's disputed election.

On Monday, Abdul Salam Rahimi, chief of staff at the administration of Ashraf Ghani, read out the names of the 25 new ministers at the presidential palace in the capital, Kabul.

The list will now be submitted to the parliament for approval. There has been no immediate word on the timing of a vote.

There are mainly new faces in the line-up, including three women, who would fill up the post at the ministries of higher education, information and culture, and women's affairs.

Salahuddin Rabbani, the former head of the country's high peace council, has been nominated for the post of foreign minister.

Military Chief of Staff Sher Mohammad Karimi is nominated for the post of Defense Ministry, and the nomination for the powerful Interior Ministry has gone to a former general, Nur ul-Haq Ulumi.

Ghulam Jilani Popal is nominated to take up the job as finance minister.

The list also includes nominees for the governor of the central bank and director of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), which is Afghanistan's intelligence service.

The news came 106 days after President Ghani was sworn in on September 29, 2014. Disagreement between Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah over the nominees for key ministries was the main reason behind the cabinet impasse.

Ghani and his election rival insisted that some crucial posts have to be taken by their loyalists. The stalemate over the makeup of the new cabinet raised worries over whether their unity government could survive, let alone govern effectively.

The nominees for the two prominent positions at the defense and finance ministries are seen as close to Ghani.

Interior Ministry nominee Ulumi endorsed Abdullah during the election campaign, and the nominee for the Foreign Ministry, Rabbani, is also close to the Chief Executive Officer.

MP/HSN/SS