Afghanistan’s Soviet-era guerrillas will control a majority at the constitutional loya jirga, scheduled to open this weekend. Afghanistan’s constitutional convention, scheduled to start Saturday, was supposed to be a break from the feuds of the past, a made-for-TV demonstration that the war-torn country had united around a blueprint for democracy. Now a coalition of powerful guerrilla commanders is poised to wrest control of the proceedings and redraft the new Afghan constitution according to their own wishes. Led by a broad array of religious parties from Afghanistan’s many Islamic sects and ethnic groups, these mujahideen or “holy warriors” have set their sights on diluting the sweeping powers of President Hamid Karzai by pursuing a parliamentary system. It would be a setback for American officials who consider Mr. Karzai to be the best leader for the next Afghan government. Full Story
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