KABUL - MPs in the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) on Monday reiterated their stance saying their continuation in Parliament does not need to be authorized by any one organization and was legal until parliamentary elections are held as they were authorized by the public to hold office in the first place.

This comes amid mounting concerns over the matter as their term effectively ends on June 22. But the MPs state they will stay on until parliamentary polls are held.

Hamidullah Tokhi, an MP from Zabul, said it is government's failure not the lawmakers' fault for the absence of parliamentary polls.

Qudratullah Zaki, an MP from Takhar, said their activities and presence in the house is legal until their successors take up their seats following the public's vote.

Recently, President Ashraf Ghani directed the Supreme Court to decide on the fate of the Wolesi Jirga based on Article 83 of the Constitution. However, lawmakers criticize this move by the government.

"The Supreme Court is directed by an acting chief therefore an acting director cannot legalize our presence in the house. Has Ghani received the required vote to become president of Afghanistan and has he completed the 50+1 vote in the presidential election?" asked Abbas Ibrahim Zada, an MP from Balkh. He said the president cannot decide on the lawmakers' fate until parliamentary polls are held.

Obaidullah Barikzai, an MP from Zabul, also waded in and said no organization except the Supreme Court can legalize the presence of the MPs and their activities after June 22.

Another demand by legislators was that a specific date be set for parliamentary elections in the near future.

"A declaration should be issued and the president should be pressurized into revealing the election date within a week," said Makhdum Abdalullah Mohammadi, an MP from Uruzgan.

The Wolesi Jirga Speaker, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, said they once again call on the president and the Chief Executive to announce the election date as soon as possible.

According to Article 83 of the Afghan Constitution, the work period of the Wolesi Jirga shall terminate, after the disclosure of the results of the elections, on the 22nd of June of the fifth year and the new parliament shall commence work. The elections for members of the House of People shall be held 30-60 days prior to the expiration of the term of the House of People. This however, has not happened.

However, on Sunday a number of Afghan civil society activists reported that in a recent consultation with Ghani, the president said he would make setting a timeline for parliamentary elections his top working priority. The presidential palace has declined to share any details about the date of the election, but stressed that the security of the elections will need planning and deliberation.

Last week, the presidential palace announced plans to conduct consultations with important public stakeholders regarding the legal status of Parliament after June 22. Legal experts say the only way to legitimize a temporary, acting legislator would be by scheduling the elections that were originally meant to be held in May of 2015. So far, Ghani has met with former Jihadi leaders, the Ulema Council, representatives of civil society institutions, politicians and the media.

"In the meeting, the president promised that the election will be held within six months and Parliament's tenure will be extended until then," civil society activist Bari Salam said on Sunday.

Confirming those claims, the Second Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nazir Ahmad Ahmadzai, said the president had directed the election commission to finalize the date for parliamentary elections. "The president instructed the head of the election commission to announce the date of parliamentary elections in five days," he said.

When asked about why the government has taken so long to address the controversy over Parliament's term limit, deputy presidential spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi said a national consensus was needed on how to proceed. He said the same would be true for the elections. "The president is firmly committed to holding elections, but the issue of security, the budget and discussing the elections in a political platform need to be reviewed through national consensus," he said. (Tolonews)