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22 January 2011
Last updated at 13:42 ET
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has agreed to open the lower house of parliament on Wednesday, ending a stand-off over the event, MPs say.
On Wednesday, Mr Karzai ordered a one-month delay to give a special tribunal more time to investigate allegations of fraud relating to September's election.
But he reversed the decision after MPs reportedly agreed at talks on Saturday to respect the tribunal's findings.
Electoral officials who organised the poll say the probe is unconstitutional.
Afghan electoral law states that the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) is the ultimate arbiter of disputes over fraud, and that the results declared by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are final.
The IEC announced the final results on 1 December after the ECC had concluded its investigations, but the attorney-general continued to look into complaints and set up the special tribunal.
The head of the five-judge panel has said there is evidence of fraud countrywide, and a need to investigate more than 300 cases.
Vocal opposition After hours of discussions at the presidential palace on Saturday, President Karzai agreed to convene the lower house of parliament, the Wolasi Jerga, on Wednesday, several of the lawmakers involved said.
In return, the MPs agreed that any criminal case identified by the special tribunal could go forward, according to Mirwais Yasini, deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament in the last session.
"Karzai has agreed that criminal cases should be decided according to the laws and constitution. If the special court is illegal then it will automatically be abolished," he told the Reuters news agency.
The MPs will formally accept the deal in a letter on Sunday, he added.
They had threatened to defy the delay ordered by Mr Karzai and convene the lower house on their own on Sunday, as originally scheduled.
Under Afghan law, the president must attend the opening session.
On Friday, the UN, EU, US and Canada expressed their "deep concern" at the delay.
"Afghanistan's peaceful future lies in the building up of robust democratic institutions based on the rule of law and clear respect for the separation of powers," a joint statement said.
Critics say Mr Karzai is not happy with the results of the parliamentary poll, which has produced a lower house with a larger, more vocal and coherent opposition than the previous chamber.
The new parliament contains bigger groups of ethnic Tajiks and Hazaras, who may challenge the president's traditional power base among Pashtuns, Afghanistan's largest ethnic group.
Although it is largely seen as weak in comparison with the president and his government, the legislature has successfully blocked many cabinet appointments and is a major dissenting voice in the country.
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On Wednesday, Mr Karzai ordered a one-month delay to give a special tribunal more time to investigate allegations of fraud relating to September's election.
But he reversed the decision after MPs reportedly agreed at talks on Saturday to respect the tribunal's findings.
Electoral officials who organised the poll say the probe is unconstitutional.
Afghan electoral law states that the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) is the ultimate arbiter of disputes over fraud, and that the results declared by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are final.
The IEC announced the final results on 1 December after the ECC had concluded its investigations, but the attorney-general continued to look into complaints and set up the special tribunal.
The head of the five-judge panel has said there is evidence of fraud countrywide, and a need to investigate more than 300 cases.
Vocal opposition After hours of discussions at the presidential palace on Saturday, President Karzai agreed to convene the lower house of parliament, the Wolasi Jerga, on Wednesday, several of the lawmakers involved said.
In return, the MPs agreed that any criminal case identified by the special tribunal could go forward, according to Mirwais Yasini, deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament in the last session.
"Karzai has agreed that criminal cases should be decided according to the laws and constitution. If the special court is illegal then it will automatically be abolished," he told the Reuters news agency.
The MPs will formally accept the deal in a letter on Sunday, he added.
They had threatened to defy the delay ordered by Mr Karzai and convene the lower house on their own on Sunday, as originally scheduled.
Under Afghan law, the president must attend the opening session.
On Friday, the UN, EU, US and Canada expressed their "deep concern" at the delay.
"Afghanistan's peaceful future lies in the building up of robust democratic institutions based on the rule of law and clear respect for the separation of powers," a joint statement said.
Critics say Mr Karzai is not happy with the results of the parliamentary poll, which has produced a lower house with a larger, more vocal and coherent opposition than the previous chamber.
The new parliament contains bigger groups of ethnic Tajiks and Hazaras, who may challenge the president's traditional power base among Pashtuns, Afghanistan's largest ethnic group.
Although it is largely seen as weak in comparison with the president and his government, the legislature has successfully blocked many cabinet appointments and is a major dissenting voice in the country.
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Legal Forum | Politics Forum | Sports Forum | Teen Forum | Webmaster Forum