Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been dealt a setback after the Afghan parliament rejected two-thirds of his proposed cabinet picks, including his nominees to head the defense, interior and finance departments. Analysts said the vote offered clear evidence of Karzai’s eroding political support in the wake of last year’s disputed election. Haroun Mir, director of Afghanistan’s Center for Research and Policy, said Afghanistan remains in political crisis.

Haroun Mir: “Only those ministers who have the backing of the international community were able to win enough confidence vote. And it means that those who did not have the support of the international community were unable. So, there is, in some ways, an invisible hand in the Afghan parliament that is trying to influence the outcome.”