Afghanistan’s new president names cabinet

After weeks of political paralysis, Afghanistan’s new president has fulfilled what many thought should have been his first duty: he has formed a government.

A long dispute over last year's election was only resolved after the winner, Ashraf Ghani, agreed to share power with his rival Abdullah Abdullah in a government of national unity. It took Ghani and his chief executive more than three months to complete their first collaborative task. The announcement of 25 new ministers in a low-key ceremony in Kabul brought some relief to Afghans who worried that the government would not be able to function.

As the country’s economic crisis deepens and a rekindled insurgency gains ground, the need for political leadership grows by the day. That is a job that Ghani still has to prove he is up to. Known as a steamrolling reformer, he also has a reputation as a fastidious micro-manager.

Haroon Mir, a Kabul-based political analyst, said that to avoid the gridlock that had so far hampered the government, Ghani now needed to let go of the reins. “There is still a long process ahead. We will see if [Ghani] will have confidence in his ministers or if he will intervene,” Mir said.

Missed deadlines

Public pressure had been mounting in recent weeks as the president missed one self-imposed deadline after another. With the spring approaching, insurgents are gearing up for their annual fighting season, and a recent surge in violence coupled with political uncertainty has stirred anxiety among many Afghans.

Both Ghani and Abdullah are said to have haggled in particular over appointments to the main security organisations – the defence and interior ministries and the national directorate of security, the intelligence agency.

Ghani took charge of the defence ministry, to which he appointed Sher Mohammad Karimi, current chief of staff to the Afghan army. Abdullah picked Nur ul-Haq Ulumi, a former governor of Kandahar, the run the interior ministry. As a general under the Soviet-backed regime that fell in 1992, Ulumi represents a time few Afghans wish to go back to, but his appointment is also a sign of a diversified cabinet.

The government, which still has to be approved by parliament, is dominated by new faces, including a handful of inexperienced politicians in their 30s and representatives of different ethnic backgrounds and regions.

Three cabinet posts went to women – the ministries of higher education, information and culture, and women’s affairs – fewer than the four previously promised by Ghani.

Since the election, Afghanistan’s new leaders have worked hard to demonstrate good governance. As one of his first tasks, Ghani took a swipe at corruption by reopening a fraud inquiry involving the country’s largest bank.

Abdullah was the first top Afghan official to chair a United Nations event to drum up humanitarian support. Vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum, a notorious former warlord, posted photos on social media of more than 100 Taliban fighters he allegedly convinced to lay down their arms. – (Guardian service)