Context
Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s attempt to solve the election dispute backfired after issuing an ambiguous decree led to both parties claiming victory.
The text of the decree published on Wednesday simultaneously undermines and supports a contentious special court that was approved by Karzai but described by many others as unconstitutional. The court calls for some 25% of MPs in the Afghan parliament to be fired.
A top official at the Independent Electoral Commission hailed the decree as evidence that the president backed his organization as a final arbiter of results following months of wrangling.
