* Parliament vows not to accept changes
* EU applauds IEC ruling, urges end to crisis
By Mirwais Harooni
KABUL, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Afghan lawmakers on Wednesday voted against accepting the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) decision to replace nine legislators over voting fraud during elections last year, potentially widening a paralysing rift with President Hamid Karzai.
Roughly 100 lawmakers present in the 249-member assembly voted not to accept any changes to the parliament, which has barely functioned since polls in September last year.
"The situation is very critical and concerning," said Mohiuddin Mehdi, a lawmaker from Baghlan province. "I'm afraid there are some government elements that benefit from the situation, so the president will finally suspend the parliament."
Karzai and the parliament have been at loggerheads since the election in September, which saw opponents of the president make major gains. Karzai has often been accused of treating parliament as a rubber stamp.
The deepening political crisis comes at a worrying time for Afghanistan, with violence at record levels as the NATO-led coalition last month began handing over security responsibility to Afghans, ahead of a withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.
On Sunday, the IEC said it would replace nine parliamentarians in line with a ruling by a court appointed by President Hamid Karzai. The court in June said all 62 should be sent to parliament.
The IEC softened its stance after initially rejecting the court decision as unconstitutional, a sentiment shared by many members of parliament, and international observers.
The bulk of the current parliament has vowed national protests over any changes, and last week some 3,000 people demonstrated outside the legislature.
The European Union, which helped pay for the election, in a statement applauded the IEC decision as "in line with its constitutional responsibilities" and expressed hope it would end the political standoff.
"It is important to ensure that Afghanistan's institutions are sufficiently robust to ensure that in the future, protracted debates between the parties on the correctness of electoral results can be avoided," EU ambassador Vygaudas Usackas said.
(Writing by Bryson Hull; Editing by Ed Lane)
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