MPs in lower house of the parliament have been failed to elect their deputy speaker for sixth time in the last four consecutive days of election rounds. Dozens of members are casting blank and invalid votes. The two contestants yesterday again failed to gain the 50+1 votes. MP Shah Gul Rezaye from Ghani and Ahmad Shah Ramazan from Balkh were contesting, with former securing 76 votes and the later 82 votes. About 200 MPs were present in the house. There were 19 blank votes and 22 invalid. Yesterday, 55 votes were blank.

On the second day of voting, Haji Abdul Zahir Qadir was elected as first deputy secretary. Now it has been several rounds that MPs have failed to elected second deputy speaker. Abdul Sattar Khawasi was elected secretary and Farhad Azimi as deputy secretary. Thought it took two rounds, but the deputy secretary election is taking long and ridiculous processes.

There are several factors for this deadlock. Most importantly, it shows the depth of differences among opposition factions who are unable to come to an understanding for a second deputy speaker slot. It is petty of them. If they are unable to elect a deputy secretary which has no significant administrative of political importance other than a symbolic role, how can they organize a strong movement for reforms against the increasingly authoritarian attitude of President Karzai?

We witnessed an exact episode last year in the elections for parliament's administrative board. There were rounds of elections and they failed to chose one nominee. Finally a Parliamentary Commission was set up to recommend changes in voting to make a way out of the deadlock. Thus came the nomination of current speaker Ibrahimi recommended by the Commission. Luckily we have not seen quarrel in the house of masses' representatives as we witnessed last year when some MPs started punching each other on the differences during debate about the deadlock.

Now it has been six rounds of failed attempts to elect the second deputy speaker of the house. The session has been postponed for 15 days. Nominees have been asked to campaign properly and persuade more support from MPs so as to avoid the blank and intentional invalid votes.

The real problems are on ethnic, tribal, linguistic, regional and political factional lines. This is the most serious problem of Afghanistan with its nation-building and efficient function of government institutions. Insurgency, corruption and lack of capacity can all have solutions, but the issue which will keep Afghanistan a crumbling failed state will be the ethnic and tribal rifts in our so-called 'national' politics.

The Karzai Administration has failed to promote a culture of political pluralism and harmony providing space for our political evolution. His administration has avoided a pragmatic politics of national reconciliation for a genuine nation-building.

We are experiencing deep rifts on ethnic and tribal lines in the very foundations of our system—the parliament. It is a very bad omen for political stability in Afghanistan, particularly given the withdrawal deadline and exit strategy of the US and its NATO allies.

These same factors have been the reasons why Afghanistan never became a stable functioning and successful nation-state in its history. Unless the society comes to a stage where all population is educated and understand the need to compromise the conflicts throughout our history and find a new way forward, we can't hope Afghanistan will be on the path of stability and a properly functioning democratic state.