Afghanistan's parliament has given President Hamid Karzai ten days to name candidates to fill 11 cabinet vacancies, the latest sign of the once-docile body's increasing tendency to challenge the president. Karzai has left acting ministers in charge of nearly half of his cabinet ministries since January, when parliament twice voted to reject large numbers of his nominees.
He has also had a stand-off with the body over election rules, which precipitated a confrontation with the West and a feud with the White House this month. A resolution passed by the lower house on Saturday gives Karzai 10 days to name the missing ministers, 20 days to appoint a commission to interpret the constitution and a month to give an outline of state policy, a secretary for the body said on Sunday.
Lawmakers had acted in part in response to anti-Western comments made by Karzai in recent days, parliament secretary Mohammad Saleh Saljogi said.
"The policy outline will clarify our position with regard to foreigners and our neighbours and show us where we are heading. And one individual should not be able to take a historic decision without the approval of the people's delegates," he said.
A spokesman for Karzai said the government respected the house's decision and was trying its best to positively reply to the demands.
Karzai has taken steps in recent days to smooth over a feud with the White House that erupted at the start of this month when he accused the West of carrying out election fraud.
Karzai made those comments after parliament tried to overturn a presidential decree that would strip the United Nations of the power to name the majority of an election watchdog which threw out nearly a third of Karzai's votes in an election last year.
On Sunday, Karzai appeared at a meeting with elders alongside the commander of US and Nato troops. The White House said on Friday it believed the quarrel with Karzai was over.