One U.S. big business newspaper called the meeting the "first broadly representative election in over 20 years" and a "watershed in Afghanistan’s recent history."

Karzai was appointed interim president at a conference in Bonn, Germany, last December after the U.S.-led military forces gained control of Afghanistan. He has since worked hand-and-glove with the imperialist occupation forces and was Washington’s choice for the post of president.

This time around the German government again played host by providing the giant tent under which the loya jirga met, albeit in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, not that of Germany.

With the election over, Karzai is now the president of the transitional government, which is to serve for 18 months until another loya jirga is called to draw up a constitution. There is currently no legislature, judiciary, or army.

One press report presented a more sober assessment of the forces behind the gathering than the picture painted by the U.S. ambassador and U.S. media.

Journalist Charles Clover reported from Kabul that it was clear to most delegates that the jirga was "thoroughly rigged to install a government headed by Hamid Karzai and dominated by the Northern Alliance."

"I thought this would be a loya jirga, but it’s just a conference for the commanders," one delegate said of the regional officials who exercise wide powers in the country. Another added that the "decision as to who will rule Afghanistan was taken outside the tent."

According to the news report, which was published in London’s Financial Times--nothing like this appeared in the U.S. press--Karzai "even committed a gaffe telling Reuters news agency that he had already been elected, even before any voting took place." The authorities postponed the opening of the jirga by one day to allow the "only two men who offered any competition to Mr. Karzai for the presidency--former king Zahir Shah and former president Burhannuddin Rabbani--the chance to announce they were not running and declare their wholehearted support for Mr. Karzai.

"The royal family are livid," the report continued, "and said privately yesterday that they were subjected to intense pressure by U.S. government officials."

As a consolation prize Karzai dubbed the former king the "spiritual father" of Afghanistan. This only drew further protest from the royal family’s spokesperson who stated that despite the temporary setback, "everything is possible" in 18 months when the "real government" takes power. Even, he hoped, a constitutional monarchy was still an option.

An Afghan history professor on the scene said: "Historically, no decision has ever been approved contrary to the will of those who invited the jirga. But even compared to that tradition, this loya jirga is a little bit extreme," he said. "Nothing is being left to chance."  
 
 
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