Karzai Can't Amend Law

The lower house of the Afghan parliament has resoundingly rebuffed President Hamid Karzai's proposal to amend elections law. His reforms would, among other things, give him more control over the Election Complaints Commission, a U.N.-led body that revealed widespread corruption during last year's presidential elections, much of which was related to Karzai himself. The rejection is consistent with increasing resistance to Karzai within the Afghan parliament, which has been less and less likely to sign off on his cabinet nominees. The rejection is not a kiss of death for the measure, as the upper house also gets a vote.