Afghanistan’s new parliament was inaugurated in Kabul on Wednesday, four months after a nationwide election that critics said was marked by extensive fraud. The inauguration ended a political standoff between President Hamid Karzai and the parliament. Karzai announced the inauguration on Monday, after Afghanistan’s Supreme Court sent word that it would not intercede in the seating of parliament following a deal between Karzai and the parliament over prosecuting crimes arising from last year’s elections.
