KABUL: (MEP) Presidential Palace said, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani extended the term of the appointed members of the Afghan Senate – Upper House of the Parliament (Meshrano Jirga), on Saturday.
A statement by ARG Palace released the decision was taken following a meeting with the members of the Afghan Senate House on Friday.
The statement added that the meeting was attended by the chairman of the Senate House (Meshrano Jirga) Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, deputy administrative chiefs along with the administrative delegation of the Senate House.
The deputy head of the Office of Administrative Affairs Nematullah Sayer read the presidential order regarding the extension of the term of appointed members of the Afghan Senate, the statement said, adding that the order was issued after the members of the Senate House requested President Ghani to extend the term of the appointed members in accordance with the enforced laws of the country.
The appointed members of the Senate House will continue to their work until the end of 16th period of the Lower House of the Parliament and appointment of the new members as per the article 84 of the Afghan constitution, According to the order.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has decided to extend the term of Fazel Hadi Muslimyar as the Chairman of the Afghan Senate for an additional, sixth year, according to media reports.
However, the action taken by the Supreme Court has seen backlash from members of the Senate and legal community, who claim the move would be unconstitutional. A number of Senators, along with the Afghan Independent Bar Association, have written to President Ashraf Ghani in hope that he will step in and prevent a violation of the constitution.
“This decision is not by the Supreme Court because this document is against the constitution, and this is made clear in the internal duties and responsibilities and by the 11th amendment of the constitution,” Wardak Senator Haseebullah Kaleemzai said.
Acting Chief Justice Abdul Rasheed Rashed has defended the decision to prolong Muslimyar’s term in light of the backlash. “The view of the high court in this regard is obvious; we have said this to the presidential palace as well and considering the decree regarding the extension of the Senate Chairman tenure from four to five years, our views are clear,” he said Sunday.
On the other hand, the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission (IEC) Chief Yousuf Nuristani announced Wednesday in a press conference that the schedule for the Parliamentary and District Council elections will be announced next week and that the cost for the elections will likely bear a cost of around 63 million US Dollars, citing the estimations of the election commission.
