President Hamid Karzai will inaugurate Afghanistan’s Parliament tomorrow, his office said yesterday, on the fifth day of a stand-off with lawmakers over electoral fraud.

But it was not immediately clear whether his statement will resolve the disagreement as it still insists on the authority of a Supreme Court special tribunal that is charged with ruling on fraud cases.

The tense situation is being watched closely by the international community in Afghanistan – 2011 is a key year for the war-torn country, with foreign troops due to start a limited withdrawal in July.

The United Nations voiced “deep concern and surprise” after Mr Karzai’s office said last week he was delaying the opening of Parliament for a month.

And the United States has called for the Parliament to be inaugurated as soon as possible.