Lawmakers in the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) on Monday accused Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani of violating the constitution and failing to respect decisions made by parliament. 

This came after parliament received a letter from the Office of the State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs notifying MPs of a delay in Monday’s scheduled voting session for ministerial nominees. 

MPs were to have held a vote a confidence in respect of at least twelve nominees for cabinet positions. 

The letter stated that the voting session had to be delayed due to technical reasons. 

This move however sparked an outcry among MPs with some calling for the doors of parliament to be closed in protest over the decision. 

“The president of the country has violated the constitution hundreds of times including other prevailing laws,” said first deputy speaker Humayoun Humayoun.

“In protest we should lock the doors of parliament for one week so that government respects the law and acts in line with the law,” said MP Zamrak Padkhawbi. 

“Introduction of the candidates will not be possible on the due date because of some technical issues,” said MP Abdul Aadir Zazai. 

Some MPs also criticized government for not being ethnically inclusive in terms of nominating cabinet ministers.  

“Whenever other ethnicities are concentrated, the one ethnicity is ignored, I think this is not in the interests of the country,” said one MP.

MPs also accused the government of meddling in the election process. 

“The president has already asked individuals working for the election commission to sign blank resignation letters,” said Humayoun. 

“We want elections not selections,” another other MP Shekiba Hashimi said. 

But government rejects these claims and says commissioners have been selected transparently. 

“Members of the election commission have been selected with transparency; the president does not interfere in the election process,” said Ghani’s deputy spokesman Dawa Khan Menapal.

Government was expected to introduce candidates for the ministries of defense, interior, rural rehabilitation, agriculture, mines, economy, labor, higher education, transport, public works and tribal and borders affairs on Monday.