U.N. tells Afghan lawmakers to get to work

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- With an Afghan panel settling a parliamentary election impasse, the U.N. mission there said it was time for politicians to get to work on legislative issues.

The Afghan Independent Election Commission during the weekend replaced nine members on the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of Parliament, following an investigation into irregularities from last year's election.

Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, said with the election dispute over, lawmakers in the country need to focus on rebuilding the country's war-torn government.

"With this decision a long institutional impasse comes to an end," his mission said in a statement. "The real work must now begin."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai in December created an independent tribunal tasked with examining widespread fraud in September elections for the Wolesi Jirga. Karzai wanted 62 members invalided, while the United Nations wanted 17.

Election officials threw out some votes because of fraud allegations. Afghan officials said the latest maneuver would do little to ease political tensions, however.

Washington said it support the IEC's ruling.