Search the Internet          Tips  Links: Terror in America

Loya Jirga elects Karzai head of state

Delegates at Afghanistan's Loya Jirga on Thursday elected interim leader Hamid Karzai as head of state, officials said.

The chairman of the Loya Jirga, Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar, said Karzai, a Pashtoon, won 1,295 votes from a total of 1,575 ballots cast.

The US-backed Karzai had got the support of a number of influential Pashtoons, some of whom had threatened to boycott the assembly after former king Mohammed Zahir Shah announced that he would not seek political office.

"Therefore, the winner of these elections is Mr Hamid Karzai, elected head of the transitional period," he said.

The new government will run the country for 18 months before general elections are held.

Agencies

America's War on Terror: The Complete Coverage
The Attack on US Cities: The Complete Coverage

The Terrorism Weblog: Latest Stories from Around the World

External Link:
For further coverage, please visit www.saja.org/roundupsept11.html

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report