Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Dec. 20 vowed his new Cabinet would be held to account, dismissing critics who say entrenched corruption will continue. He also promised a bigger role in government for women in the generally patriarchal society.

Karzai has been under strong international pressure to clean up corruption in his government. Anger over graft has helped fuel the Taliban insurgency, and dismayed the United States and other countries he counts on for troops and financial aid.

But when his nominees for the Cabinet were presented Dec. 19, many legislators complained that he was keeping ministers who had performed badly, and that he was appointing new faces who may be in the pocket of warlords and regional power brokers.

Only one woman was appointed — the minister of women's affairs. Karzai on Dec. 20 said he plans to form a new ministry for literacy that would be headed by a woman and to appoint women to a number of deputy minister positions.