Kabul: Nine Afghan lawmakers kicked out of the country`s lower house as part of efforts to end a long-running vote-rigging row were refused access to parliament on Saturday.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) last month ordered that the nine MPs be replaced, after almost a year of street protests and controversy over last September`s fraud-tainted parliamentary polls.

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While nine was far lower than other figures previously floated -- a special tribunal said in June it should be 62, a quarter of all lawmakers -- the ruling still prompted fury among many politicians.
The row has raised questions about transparency in Afghan politics and is prolonging uncertainty as foreign combat forces start withdrawals ahead of a 2014 deadline for all of them to leave.

Mohammad Rafiq Shaheer, a lawmaker from the western province of Herat who is among the nine disqualified, told a news agency by telephone today: "We are outside the Parliament, the security officials are not allowing us to enter the parliament, and around 120 MPs... have also stood with us to support us."

Today`s session opened with "new" MPs replacing those thrown out by the IEC, a parliament official said. Among the replacement lawmakers was Ahmad Khan, a powerful warlord from northern Samangan province, who confirmed toa news agency that he had taken his seat.

Ahmad Behzad, the second deputy speaker of the house and a member of the main group opposing President Hamid Karzai, condemned what he called an act of "treachery against the parliament."

"President Karzai brought military coup to the parliament... today, around 100 MPs from the Law support coalition were not allowed to enter the Parliament by the security forces," he said.

PTI