KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan lawmakers rejected the country’s first female Supreme Court on Wednesday, with several female parliamentarians publicly pressing President Ashraf Ghani to name another woman to sit on the country’s highest judicial body.

Ghani hand-picked Anisa Rassouli to be the first female in the country’s history to sit on the nine-member court last month.

Rassouli needed 96 votes from parliament to secure her spot on the high court. Only 88 lawmakers approved her nomination during Wednesday’s confirmation hearing in Kabul.

There was no follow-up debate to the vote, since the ballots were cast in secret. Only 192 lawmakers out of the 245-member legislative body were present for Rassouli’s confirmation.

Shukria Barakzai, a female parliamentarian representing Kabul, said shortly after the vote that the decision was “a betrayal to Afghan women.” She led the charge for Ghani to name another female nominee to replace Rassouli.

Abdul Zahir Qadeer, deputy speaker of parliament, blamed female members for failing to support Rassouli’s bid.

Only 46 of the 67 female lawmakers attended Rassouli’s confirmation vote, Qadeer said. The presence of more female parliamentarians would have secured the nine additional votes needed to confirm Rassouli, he said.

Shifting women into high-profile positions in the national unity government and bureaucracy has been a top priority for Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah since taking office last September.

In April, Afghan lawmakers approved Ghani’s nominees for a number of cabinet positions, including four women.

Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this story.

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