Karzai's spokesman said the president would name caretaker ministers for the vacant posts and conceded it was not likely the president would have a Cabinet in place before a January 28 international conference in London.
Washington and its allies have been pressing Karzai to assemble his second-term administration ahead of the London conference, which is aimed at streamlining aid efforts for Afghanistan.
``Our understanding is that we may not be able to do so and that the parliament might go to their recess and we will introduce new members after they come back from their recess,' spokesman Waheed Omar said at a news conference.
The uncertainty over the make-up of Karzai's administration following flawed presidential elections last year compounds the many problems facing Afghanistan, including the increasingly bloody insurgency. In the latest violence to blight the country, gunmen opened fire on a local government convoy Sunday, killing six people, including a district chief.
International forces also killed two Afghan civilians in separate checkpoint shootings, underscoring the dangers facing Afghans who find themselves caught in the middle of escalating combat. Mohammad Saleh Suljoqi, the secretary for the parliamentary speaker, said lawmakers decided Sunday to adjourn for a recess through the end of February despite the Cabinet standoff, although he acknowledged Karzai has the constitutional authority to call them back.
Two weeks ago, parliament rejected 70 percent of Karzai's Cabinet picks, forcing him to present a second list. On Saturday, 224 lawmakers present approved only seven of 17 new nominees, leaving him without confirmed leaders for 11 of the 25 Cabinet posts. Omar said the president might leave current ministers in place as caretakers or he might appoint new people to keep the ministries running.