Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Afghan President 'Not Happy' with Parliament's Rejection of Cabinet Nominees The parliament in Afghanistan has rejected 70 percent of President Hamid Karzai's Cabinet nominees VOA News 03 January 2010 Хамид ÐаÑзай Photo: AP Afghan President Hamid Karzai (file) A spokesperson for Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai says he is "not happy" with parliament's rejection of 70 percent of his Cabinet nominees. Waheed Omar told a news conference Sunday that while the lawmakers' decision was "not a very pleasant situation for the government," President Karzai "values the constitution" and will submit another roster of nominees for approval. Afghan lawmakers rejected 17 of the 24 nominees on Saturday. Those rejected included candidates who critics said were unqualified, corrupt or linked to warlords. Kai Eide, the head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, expressed surprise at the rejections and called them a "political setback" that will further prolong the establishment of a functional government. Mr. Karzai's Cabinet nominations are seen as a key indicator of whether he is sincere about reforming the country's notoriously corrupt government. Pressure to nominate competent candidates grew following Mr. Karzai's re-election as president in an August poll that was marred by widespread fraud. Lawmakers did approve the incumbent ministers of defense, interior and finance - key players in Afghanistan's war and reconstruction. The Afghan Election Commission announced Saturday that parliamentary elections will take place on May 22, despite international pressure to postpone the polls until the government addresses the fraud that marred the presidential vote last August. Some information for this report was provided by AP, Reuters. .