Afghan president extends parliament's tenure

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has extended the tenure of the lower house of parliament, a media report said on Saturday.

"In line with the constitution and the advice of the Supreme Court, the National Assembly of Afghanistan as a legislative body would continue to serve till announcing the result of the next parliamentary elections," an official statement issued late Friday night said.

The date for holding parliamentary elections would be announced within a month, the statement said.

As per the constitution, the five-year term of the lower house ends on June 21 but since the government has failed to hold parliamentary elections on time due to reasons including financial problems, the president extended its tenure.

Elections were last held on September 18, 2010, with over 2,500 candidates.