KABUL — Afghanistan’s president issued a decree Wednesday stating that the country’s courts do not have the power to alter election results, appearing to bow to pressure to resolve an impasse over the parliament’s legitimacy that threatened to create a constitutional crisis.
The Afghan parliament has been in limbo after a special court in June called for the removal of 62 sitting lawmakers, saying they won their seats through fraud. The dispute hamstrung the country’s already tumultuous political system, with the courts, the president and legislature all claiming the right to make the final ruling about last year’s messy elections.
In his decree, President Hamid Karzai said the Independent Election Commission, which organized the vote, holds the final authority on deciding vote counts and results. Presidential spokesman Siamak Herawi said the commission will evaluate the court’s findings and will decide whether any candidates should be removed. The Associated Press
