Most of Karzai cabinet list vetoed - again

Afghan President Hamid Karzai suffered another political setback Saturday when his country's parliament rejected most of the candidates in his second attempt to form a cabinet.

Ten of the 17 nominees were rejected by Afghanistan's lawmakers. The seven given parliamentary approval included Karzai's longtime national security adviser, Zalmay Rasoul, who will be foreign minister.

As well, parliament approved a new justice minister and a new minister — a woman — charged with the Work and Social Affairs/Martyred and Disabled portfolio.

Voting on the cabinet nominees took several hours as the yellow paper ballots were tallied one-by-one in a process that was televised nationally.

Karzai's first cabinet list met with failure in early January when 17 of 24 nominees failed to win parliamentary approval.

In that first vote, politicians rejected people they believed were either Karzai political cronies or those they believed were under the influence of warlords, as well as others who were deemed to be unqualified.

Karzai's credibility both at home and abroad was shaken by the fraud-plagued presidential elections in August.