Politics of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

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The government of

Haibatullah Akhundzada. As of 8 September 2021, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not yet been formally recognized as the de jure government of Afghanistan by any other country.[2] The representatives appointed by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan continue to represent the country at the United Nations. These representatives have refused to recognize the Taliban appointed government and have urged other countries to not recognize this government either.[3]

Between 2002 and 2021, the government of Afghanistan consisted of the

parliamentarians
took place.

Supreme Court were appointed by the president to form the judiciary. Together, this system served to provide a set of checks and balances
.

History

Background

Zahir Shah
is sitting at the right.

Afghanistan is an

Afghan Transitional Administration. While supporters have praised Karzai's efforts to promote national reconciliation and a growing economy, critics charge him with failing to stem corruption and the illegal drug production
.

The

reformists
, communists, and several Taliban associates. About 28% of the delegates elected were women, 3% more than the 25% minimum guaranteed under the constitution. This made Afghanistan one of the leading countries in terms of female representation in the legislature.

The Supreme Court of Afghanistan is led by Chief Justice Sayed Yusuf Halem, replacing Abdul Salam Azimi in 2014. The Deputy Chief Justice is Bahauddin Baha.

Northern Alliance and Taliban government

Main articles:
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

In September 1996, officials of the

government in exile. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference left the Afghan seat vacant until the question of legitimacy could be resolved through negotiations among the warring factions. The Taliban controlled 95% of the territory by 2001 and only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates recognized them as the government of Afghanistan. The remaining 5% belonged to rebel forces that became known as the Northern Alliance
.

Military action by the United States and allies

Main articles:
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

After the Taliban's refusal to hand over

September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., a US-led international coalition was formed; after several weeks of aerial bombardment by coalition forces and military action on the ground, including operations with the Northern Alliance
, the Taliban was officially ousted from power on November 17, 2001.

Bonn Agreement

Main article: Bonn Agreement (Afghanistan)

In December 2001, a number of prominent Afghans met under the United Nations auspices in

Afghan Transitional Administration
(ATA), after which elections are to be held. Some provisions in the agreement have expired, due to the creation of the constitution. Still, the agreement paved the way for the creation of a democratic Afghanistan.

ISAF and Afghan security forces

Further information: Afghan National Security Forces

The

population of Afghanistan. Members of the United States Armed Forces and other NATO countries began sending large number of troops to Afghanistan. They began to train the Afghan Armed Forces and Afghan National Police
as well as fight insurgents and take part in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

New constitution and national elections

Further information:
Constitution of Afghanistan and Elections in Afghanistan

The structure of the Transitional Authority was announced on June 10, 2002, when an emergency

National Assembly
.

Under the Bonn Agreement the Afghan Constitution Commission was established to consult with the public and formulate a draft constitution. The meeting of a constitutional loya jirga was held in December 2003, when a new constitution was adopted creating a presidential form of government with a bicameral legislature: the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga) and the House of the People (Wolesi Jirga).

The

2004 presidential election was held on October 9, with over 10 million Afghans being registered to vote. Many of the candidates running against Hamid Karzai tried to boycott the election because they feared irregularities. However, Karzai made this statement to the media:

"It is too late to call for a boycott now that millions of Afghans have come from their homes despite rain and snow and they have voted... We should respect the people's will. I'm very delighted that all over Afghanistan, with the help of God, people with a lot of happiness and enthusiasm went to ballot boxes and voted. This shows the political understanding of Afghans and their will for a peaceful future."[4]

— Hamid Karzai, October 9, 2004

An independent commission found evidence of fraud, but ruled that it did not affect the outcome of the poll and Karzai won with 55.4% of the vote.[5]

He was inaugurated as President on December 7 of that year. It was the country's first national election since 1969, when parliamentary elections were last held.

In September 2005, the

Sibghatullah Mojadeddi was picked to head the 102-seat upper house and Yunus Qanuni
was chosen to lead the 249-seat lower house of parliament.

Executive branch

The

National Assembly
.

Presidency of Hamid Karzai

Main article: Presidency of Hamid Karzai
United States-Afghanistan relations have improved since late 2001, especially after the Karzai administration
was formed.

Hamid Karzai served as the Chairman of the

2004 presidential election
.

First term

The United States is the leading nation in the rebuilding and democratization of Afghanistan.

United States-Afghanistan relations have improved since late 2001, especially after the Karzai administration was formed. Foreign relations of Afghanistan with other NATO
members and regional countries have also improved under the Karzai administration.

After winning the

2004 election and removing many of the former Northern Alliance warlords from his cabinet, it was thought that Karzai would pursue a more aggressively reformist path in 2005 but he proved to be more cautious. Ever since Karzai's new administration took over in 2004, the economy of Afghanistan
has been growing rapidly for the first time in many years. Government revenue is increasing every year, although it is still heavily dependent on foreign aid. During the Karzai administration, public discontent grew about corruption and the civilian casualties in the fight against the Taliban insurgency.

Second term

Three months after the

Bilateral Security Agreement
(BSA) with the United States.

Presidency of Ashraf Ghani

After a disputed election,

Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan in September 2014.[10] One day later, the new Afghan government signed the Bilateral Security Agreement.[11]

On August 15, 2021, during the 2021 Taliban offensive, as the Fall of Kabul was occurring, Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan with his wife to Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Some unconfirmed reports suggest that Ghani may return to Kabul in the future.

Legislative branch

Main article: National Assembly (Afghanistan)
Inside the old building housing the Afghan Parliament (2006)

The

2005 parliamentary election for the Wolesi Jirga (House of the People
) were conducted on September 18, 2005. This was the first parliamentary election in Afghanistan since 1969. Approximately 2,707 candidates, including 328 women, competed for 249 seats. The election was conducted with multiple seat electoral constituencies. Each province is a constituency and has a varying number of seats, depending on population. Voters have a single non-transferable vote.

The

Wolesi Jirga
. The remaining third are to be elected by district councils.

Elections

Main article: Elections in Afghanistan

2004 presidential

Main article: 2004 Afghan presidential election
2004 presidential election
in the first run by receiving 55.4% of the total votes

The first presidential election under the new constitution was held on October 9, 2004. Interim-president Karzai had enough votes to avoid a run-off.

2005 parliamentary

Main article: 2005 Afghan parliamentary election

Afghanistan held parliamentary elections on 18 September 2005. First results were announced on 9 October and final results on 12 November 2005. Since all candidates were not listed by party and elected as non-partisans, a breakdown by party was not possible. Turnout was estimated at 50 percent.

2009 presidential

Main article: 2009 Afghan presidential election

The 2009 presidential election was characterized by lack of security, low voter turnout and widespread

ballot stuffing, intimidation, and other electoral fraud.[12][13][14]

The vote, along with elections for 420 provincial council seats, took place on August 20, 2009, but remained unresolved during a lengthy period of vote counting and fraud investigation.[15]

Two months later, under heavy U.S. and ally pressure, a second round run-off vote between incumbent President Hamid Karzai and his main rival Abdullah Abdullah was announced for November 7, 2009. On November 1, however, Abdullah announced that he would no longer be participating in the run-off because his demands for changes in the electoral commission had not been met, and a "transparent election is not possible." A day later, on November 2, 2009, officials of the election commission canceled the run-off and declared Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan for another 5-year term.[13][14]

2014 presidential

Main article: 2014 Afghan presidential election
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits with Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah, left, and Ashraf Ghani, right, at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 12, 2014, after he helped broker an agreement on a technical and political plan to resolve the disputed outcome of the election between them.

The

2014 presidential election was held in April 2014, followed by a run-off in June 2014. The results of both ballots were challenged by the losing candidate Abdullah Abdullah, who claimed the results were manipulated to ensure his opponent Ashraf Ghani was declared the winner. The results of the election remained in dispute until September 2014, despite a proposal by the United States that the candidates agree to a power-sharing deal, which was initially agreed to. A UN-led audit failed to sway Abdullah as he insisted the audit team could not explain a million extra votes counted in the run-off. Ghani supporters insisted they wanted to do a deal and were leaving the door open to negotiations.[16]

2019 presidential

Main article: 2019 Afghan presidential election

The 2019 presidential election was held on September 2, 2019, with Ashraf Ghani narrowly reelected over Abdullah Abdullah who contested the preliminary results. When the final results were released in February 2020, Abdullah rejected them, forming a parallel government and organising a separate inauguration.[17] Nonetheless, Ghani was officially sworn in on March 9, 2020.[18] The dispute was resolved on May 16, 2020, when the two signed a power-sharing deal whereby Ghani remained president, however both would choose an equal number of ministers and Abdullah would lead peace talks with the Taliban.[19]

Judicial branch

Further information: Chief Justice of Afghanistan

The

Supreme Court
. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in Afghanistan and is the court of last resort. Judges are appointed by the President and confirmed by the National Assembly. Lower courts included magistrate courts, Courts of First Instance, and the Intermediate Court of Appeals. Intermediate Court of Appeals review decisions of lower courts, before appeals are sent to the Supreme Court. If an appeal loses, they can be sent to the Supreme Court. Courts of First Instance exist in every city. They have several branches that try all major cases. The branches include Criminal, Civil, Religious, Administrative, Labor, and Family divisions. Also in the first instance include military courts, which try military personnel. Magistrate Courts are at the lowest level, which tries minor civil and criminal cases.

Political parties

Main article: List of political parties in Afghanistan
Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, Suhail Shaheen and another Taliban member in Doha, Qatar
.

Political parties in Afghanistan are in flux and many prominent players have plans to create new ones. Some of the political parties in Afghanistan are as follow:

International organization participation

Afghanistan is a member of the following organizations:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Hardliners get key posts in new Taliban government". September 7, 2021. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021 – via www.bbc.com.
  2. ^ "Afghanistan: Taliban increasingly violent against protesters – UN - BBC News". Archived from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  3. ^ "Afghan envoy to UN: Don't recognise Taliban govt". Pajhwok Monitor. September 8, 2021. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021 – via pajhwok.com.
  4. ^ "Polls Closed in Afghan Elections". Deutsche Welle. 10 October 2004. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Karzai declared Afghan president". November 3, 2004. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2006 – via BBC News.
  6. ^ Tavernise, Sabrina; Landler, Mark; Cooper, Helene (October 20, 2009). "With New Afghan Vote, Path to Stability Is Unclear". Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  7. ^ "Hamid Karzai agrees to run-off amid fears of more violence and fraud". www.telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
  8. ^ SPIEGEL, DER. "Afghanische Regierung: Karzai hält an seinen Vertrauten fest". www.spiegel.de. Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  9. ^ Rubin, Alissa J. (December 19, 2009). "Afghan Cabinet Nominations Show Little Change". Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  10. Washington Post. Archived
    from the original on 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  11. ^ Walsh, Declan; Ahmed, Azam (September 30, 2014). "Mending Alliance, U.S. and Afghanistan Sign Long-Term Security Agreement". Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  12. ^ "Afghan commission orders first ballots invalidated". Archived from the original on 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
  13. ^ a b Cooper, Helene; Zeleny, Jeff (November 2, 2009). "Obama Warns Karzai to Focus on Tackling Corruption". Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  14. ^ a b "Obama calls Afghan election 'messy' but upholds its final outcome -- latimes.com". November 5, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-11-05.
  15. ^ "Karzai Campaign Declares Victory". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Archived from the original on 2019-04-21. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  16. ^ "Abdullah insists he has won and refuses to accept vote audit". Radio Free Europe. 8 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  17. ^ "Afghan political rivals to hold parallel inaugurations". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  18. ^ Qazi, Shereena. "Ghani sworn in as Afghan president, rival holds own inauguration". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  19. ^ "Afghanistan: Rival leaders Ghani and Abdullah in power-sharing deal". BBC News. 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  20. ^ "Afghanistan becomes member of World Trade Organization (WTO)". December 17, 2015. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021 – via pajhwok.com.

Further reading

External links

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