KABUL - Second vice president Mohammad Sarwar Danish on Wednesday introduced four nominees for key government posts to parliament ahead of Saturday's vote of confidence.

The nominees are for the Ministry of Defense, Central Bank and for the Supreme Court.

Taking the podium, Danish first thanked security forces for their hard work in rooting out insurgents across the country as well as fighting off insurgents during the recent attack on parliament.

He said that it was clear the country was currently going through a difficult period and that insurgents have stepped up the number of attacks.

Danish also mentioned the election issue and said that hopefully, once the electoral reform commission is launched, the issue of a parliamentary election date can be set. He added that members of the constitution monitoring committee will also be introduced to parliament in the new future.

In his address to MPs Danish said all nominees introduced were highly experienced people. He said he hoped they would be given a vote of confidence during Saturday's session.

Among those introduced to parliament by Danish was Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, as minister of defense; Khalilullah Sediq as head of the Central Bank and two nominees for the Supreme Court - Anisa Rassouli and Sayed Yousuf Halim.

Rassouli is the first female judge in the history of Afghanistan to be introduced to such a senior judicial position.

Rassouli who graduated from the Law and Political Science Faculty of Kabul University is highly experienced and is committed to stamping out violence against women. She said in an interview with TOLOnews recently that if successful she will increase the number of women in the judiciary and will address cases of violence against women properly.

Halim, who is also nominated for the Supreme Court, also comes with a wealth of experience. H e has a Bachelor of Art in Law and Political Science from Kabul University and joined the Ministry of Justice in 1985.

Khalilullah Sediq, nominated for head of Central Bank, has been the Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan International Bank since 2006. Sediq has 30 years' experience as a central banker and a commercial banker in Afghanistan and America.

Stanekzai meanwhile has served as a minister and security advisor to former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and has been acting defense minister since May. (Tolonews)