Karzai Inaugurates Parliament After Blaming West for Creating 'Chaos'

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 26, 2011 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai inaugurated parliament this morning more than four months after a fraud-filled election, but did so begrudgingly and only after blaming the West for pushing the country to the verge of "chaos."

Karzai and his allies, upset at the outcome of the September election and worried about losing candidates responding violently, created repeated roadblocks to today's ceremony, including a special tribunal to investigate fraud that critics said was unconstitutional.

Karzai's actions caused some Western officials to question whether he was an adequate partner. But Karzai blamed the political paralysis of the last few months on the United Nations and the international community, releasing a stinging rebuke that shows he continues to blame the West for his own political weakness and continues to tap into anti-Western sentiment to score political points.

"Some foreign countries started interfering and questioned [the creation of the special tribunal]. And they started to create chaos in the country, urging the candidates to inaugurate parliament even without the president's presence," Karzai said in a statement released a few hours before the inauguration. "So in order to avoid foreign interference and in order to avoid chaos, I decided to meet with the winning candidates. And I convinced them that even after we open parliament, they should accept the decision of the special tribunal."

Just because Afghanistan has a parliament for the first time in six months does not mean the political instability is over. Karzai's office released statements from losing candidates in which one warned they would "go to the mountains and fight for our lost Afghanistan." And the special tribunal is expected to try to unseat more than 30 candidates, according to a senior government official. It's not clear if those candidates would hand over their seats without a fight.

"We'll be working through this for some time," sighed a Western official.

By inaugurating parliament but threatening winning candidates with a special tribunal whose results can't be questioned, Karzai is trying to satisfy two difficult constituencies: the international community and 2,500 losing candidates, 150 of whom barricaded themselves in the presidential palace all night. In his speech to parliament, he lightly criticized the West but did not mention the losing candidates.

"The question is, who is trying to undermine our young democracy?" Karzai asked during his speech opening parliament. "We Afghans should be unified in responding to these people. We need to make this an Afghan process. It will be more effective and less expensive."

On paper, Afghanistan's parliament checks the power of the president. But Karzai often rules the country by decree, for example keeping ministers even after they have been rejected by parliament.

United States officials have long complained that Karzai is a poor commander in chief, spending too much time criticizing the West and not enough time rallying his people to fight the Taliban. But in today's speech Karzai quoted John F. Kennedy's request, "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," and he urged the West not to "take it personally" when he criticizes them. He also made one of his most pointed criticisms of the insurgents.

"Because of you, the foreign forces are bombarding the villages. It's your responsibility," he said, ad libbing from his prepared remarks to parliament. "We don't want these villages destroyed. The only reason your villages are being destroyed is because of you. Don't hide behind the trees."