KABUL, Afghanistan — A group of lawmakers, many of them women, blocked the Afghan Parliament’s newly appointed speaker from taking his seat on Sunday, and security forces were dispatched after a scuffle broke out. The turmoil came just a few days after the newly elected Parliament started its first session on Thursday. The clash over Mr. Rahmani’s legitimacy as speaker was televised and quickly spread to social media. Mr. Rahmani’s rival, Kamal Naser Osuli, sat in the speaker’s chair, saying that he was the rightful holder of the position. One lawmaker, Zal Mohammad Zalmay, rushed at Mr. Osuli while wielding the speaker’s gavel.

Source: New York Times May 19, 2019 16:30 UTC