Karzai has wounded himself politically: Crisis Group

Afghan President Hamid Karzai “shot himself in the foot and wounded himself politically” at the first place by forming special tribunal and cutting off communications with the parliament. ”Karzai has shot himself in the foot and wounded himself politically by cutting off his communications with parliament, by building the special court in order to prosecute people who may or may not have committed crimes along the way with the election process,” Candace Rondeaux, a senior analyst to Crisis Group based in Kabul, said.The International Crisis Group analyst based in Kabul warns that if disputes between executive and legislative branches continue, Afghan President Hamid Karzai would announce state of emergency.State of emergency would even add to the complexity of the situation in Afghanistan and then international troops should come up with a decision whether to support the president or the House of Representatives, she said.Candace Rondeaux called the special electoral tribunal unconstitutional saying it has stopped the parliament to carry out it obligations.”We all know, I think even Karzai understands that the special court is an unconstitutional body, it is an illegal body and should have never been formed to the first place. Now the problem is that you have 62 people who are waiting for seats, that may never be given to them and parliament could not do its work. The country is at a standstill, because the government is unable to work,” Candace Rondeaux said.She said that the work of the special tribunal has produced obstacles to the parliament.”I think if this paralysis continues, it could end up with a high state of emergency declared by the president and that is very dangerous, because it will eventually force, I think, Isaf to make a choice between backing the president and backing the parliament and that is the last thing anybody wants to see,” she said.Meanwhile, Speaker of the Afghan House of Representatives has said the special tribunal has accepted that its final decision should be announced by President Karzai.House Speaker Abdul Raouf Ebrahimi recently said that President Karzai had promised him to bring an end to parliamentary disputes.President Karzai’s Office and the government’s media and information centre could not be reached for comment.