MINA Zaki, the Liberal candidate for the seat Canberra, may be ineligible to sit in parliament because the renunciation of her Afghan citizenship appears to be incomplete, “The Guardian” is reporting (here) today (May 4).

However Prime Minister Scott Morrison is untroubled by the revelation, saying he has been assured she has all the necessary paperwork.

“So, I don’t have any concerns about that. That’s the advice that I’ve received,” Nine News says he told reporters in Brisbane.

“It highlights she’s a former Afghani. How good’s that? That’s who’s running for the Liberal Party. I think that demonstrates the diversity of the candidates that we’re putting to this election.”

“The Guardian” website reports that Zaki declared she had renounced her Afghan citizenship on April 16, but says the document she provided to the Australian Electoral Commission and Afghan citizenship law both suggest a further step is required for renunciation to be effective.

Last year the High Court held it was not sufficient to take “reasonable steps” to renounce foreign citizenship – the renunciation must be effective by the nomination date unless there is an “insurmountable obstacle”.

“The Guardian” says that a Liberal spokesman had disputed that Zaki was ineligible but did not provide further evidence.

“Despite the difficult circumstances, Mina Zaki has indeed managed to renounce her Afghan citizenship and obtain from the government of that war-torn country documentary confirmation that she has lost her Afghan nationality,” he is quoted as saying.

A Liberal Party biography describes Ms Zaki as having been born in Kabul and migrated to Australia in 1991.

“Mina and her husband are proud to be raising their three young children in the vibrant community of Canberra,” it says.

“Mina is passionate about her community and will be a strong voice for the diverse and dynamic electorate of Canberra. She believes the government needs to support hard working Canberrans who are trying to get ahead, while guaranteeing the essential services Canberrans rely on.”

Labor holds the seat of Canberra by 12.9 per cent following the recent redistribution of House of Representative seats in the ACT that creased three seats from the previous two.