Afghanistan's Loya Jirga tribal assembly was gripped yesterday by heated debate on everything from warlordism to religion, delaying a leadership vote widely expected to confirm Mr Hamid Karzai as head of state.
Mr Karzai, head of the current interim administration which ruled war-torn Afghanistan for six months after the departure of the fundamentalist Taliban regime, was expected to face only a token challenge in the election.
But as preliminary discussions went hours over schedule on the second day of the meeting, it appeared highly unlikely that more than 1,500 delegates gathered under a giant white marquee would cast their votes yesterday.
By the time the session was scheduled to close, they were still selecting the chairman of the Loya Jirga, one of the first items on the agenda.
The interim Foreign Minister, Mr Abdullah Abdullah, described the atmosphere within the assembly as "very lively".
"Of course there were a few statements that could be construed as provocative, but the overwhelming support was for national unity and the success of the Loya Jirga," he said. "After two decades of war, the people of Afghanistan are expressing their views clearly."
Mr Karzai's appointment as head of the transitional government to rule Afghanistan until democratic elections in 2004 seems assured. His speech on Monday at the start of the assembly seemed to have defused a dispute over pressure placed on former king Mohammed Zahir Shah not to stand for the top job.
But there is likely to be a battle for the cabinet posts between the former king's supporters and the Northern Alliance, which ousted the Taliban last year, with the help of US air strikes.
"We are preparing for a lengthy and heated discussion today on the make-up of the cabinet, the legislative body and the judiciary," one delegate, Mr Fahim Dashti, said.
The inaugural session of the Loya Jirga was largely ceremonial, but yesterday the delegates, who represent every ethnic and special-interest group in the diverse nation, took the opportunity to air grievances.
There was bitter criticism of the procedure to elect delegates to the Loya Jirga, two-thirds of whom were chosen through district elections with the remainder selected by the organising committee.
Amid confusion over the exact number of representatives, there were calls for a list of official delegates and a confirmation that others who arrived as "guests" would not be allowed to vote.
"There are so many armed people around that we wonder whether it is a Loya Jirga or a military council," said one delegate, Mr Safar Mohamed, who said that warlords defying a weapons ban were intimidating people.
One delegate complained that yesterday's session did not begin with a recitation from the Koran, while others said the poor quality of the food on the site posed a health hazard.
"God forbid one day all the delegates will be taken away from here on stretchers," Mr Mirahmed Ahmadzai said.
If he wins the leadership vote, Mr Karzai is expected to outline his programme to continue the reconstruction of Afghanistan. However, supporters of the former king warned that Mr Karzai's election was not a formality. "The people have not voted. Clapping is not voting. The issue of his majesty is not finished yet," the Finance Minister and royalist, Mr Amin Arsala, said.- (AFP)