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Government

Afghanistan

Country name:

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan

Government type:

Islamic republic

Capital:

name: Kabul geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 11 E time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis,

Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor,

Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar,

Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika,

Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan,

Wardak, Zabul

Independence:

19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

Constitution:

new constitution drafted 14 December 2003–4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004

Legal system:

based on mixed civil and Sharia law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; former King ZAHIR Shah held the honorific, "Father of the Country," and presided symbolically over certain occasions but lacked any governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary; King ZAHIR Shah died on 23 July 2007 head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004) cabinet: 25 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a second round; a president can only be elected for two terms; election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote - Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANUNI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ 11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda JALAL 1.2%

Legislative branch:

the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for five-year terms, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third elected from provincial councils for four-year terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year terms, and one-third nominated by the president for five-year terms) note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held for the Wolesi Jirga by September 2009; next to be held for the provincial councils to the Meshrano Jirga by September 2008) election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system used in the election did not make use of political party slates; most candidates ran as independents

Judicial branch:

the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a minister of justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes

Political parties and leaders:

Afghanistan Peoples' Treaty Party [Sayyed Amir TAHSEEN];

Afghanistan's Islamic Mission Organization [Abdul Rasoul SAYYAF];

Afghanistan's Islamic Nation Party [Toran Noor Aqa Ahmad ZAI];

Afghanistan's National Islamic Party [Rohullah LOUDIN];

Afghanistan's Welfare Party [Meer Asef ZAEEFI]; Afghan Social

Democratic Party [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; Afghan Society for the Call to

the Koran and Sunna [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Comprehensive

Movement of Democracy and Development of Afghanistan Party [Sher

Mohammad BAZGAR]; Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Tawos ARAB];

Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Kabir RANJBAR]; Elites People

of Afghanistan Party [Abdul Hamid JAWAD]; Freedom and Democracy

Movement of Afghanistan [Abdul Raqib Jawid KOHISTANEE]; Freedom

Party of Afghanistan [Ilaj Abdul MALEK]; Freedom Party of

Afghanistan [Dr. Ghulam Farooq NEJRABEE]; Hizullah-e-Afghanistan

[Qari Ahmad ALI]; Human Rights Protection and Development Party of

Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATI]; Islamic Justice Party of Afghanistan

[Mohammad Kabir MARZBAN]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Mohammad

Ali JAWID]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Mukhtar

MUFLEH]; Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Khalid FAROOQI];

Islamic Party of the Afghan Land [Mohammad Hassan FEROZKHEL];

Islamic People's Movement of Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said Hussain

ANWARY]; Islamic Society of Afghanistan [Ustad RABBANI]; Islamic

Unity of the Nation of Afghanistan Party [Qurban Ali URFANI];

Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim KHALILI]; Islamic

Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ];

Labor and Progress of Afghanistan Party [Zulfiqar OMID]; Muslim

People of Afghanistan Party [Besmellah JOYAN]; Muslim Unity Movement

Party of Afghanistan [Wazir Mohammad WAHDAT]; National and Islamic

Sovereignty Movement Party of Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah AHMADZAI];

National Congress Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Latif PEDRAM];

National Country Party [Ghulam MOHAMMAD]; National Development Party

of Afghanistan [Dr. Aref BAKTASH]; National Freedom Seekers Party

[Abdul Hadi DABEER]; National Independence Party of Afghanistan [Taj

Mohammad WARDAK]; National Islamic Fighters Party of Afghanistan

[Amanat NINGARHAREE]; National Islamic Front of Afghanistan [Pir

Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE]; National Islamic Moderation Party of

Afghanistan [Qara Bik Eized YAAR]; National Islamic Movement of

Afghanistan [Sayed NOORULLAH]; National Islamic Unity Party of

Afghanistan [Mohammad AKBAREE]; National Movement of Afghanistan

[Ahmad Wali MASOOUD]; National Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid

ARYAN]; National Patch of Afghanistan Party [Sayed Kamal SADAT];

National Peace Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Shah Mohammood Popal

ZAI]; National Peace & Islamic Party of the Tribes of Afghanistan

[Abdul Qaher SHARIATEE]; National Peace & Unity Party of Afghanistan

[Abdul Qader IMAMI]; National Prosperity and Islamic Party of

Afghanistan [Mohammad Osman SALEKZADA]; National Prosperity Party

[Mohammad Hassan JAHFAREE]; National Solidarity Movement of

Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Eshaq GAILANEE]; National Solidarity Party of

Afghanistan [Sayed Mansoor NADREEI]; National Sovereignty Party

[Sayed Mustafa KAZEMI]; National Stability Party [Mohammad Same

KHAROTI]; National Stance Party [Habibullah JANEBDAR]; National

Tribal Unity Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANI];

National United Front [Burhanuddin RABBANI] (a coalition); National

Unity Movement [Sultan Mohammad GHAZI]; National Unity Movement of

Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir AATASH]; National Unity Party of

Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid JALILI]; New Afghanistan Party [Mohammad

Yunis QANUNI]; Peace and National Welfare Activists Society [Shamsul

Haq Noor SHAMS]; Peace Movement [Shahnawaz TANAI]; People's

Aspirations Party of Afghanistan [Ilhaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE];

People's Freedom Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Feda Mohammad EHSAS];

People's Liberal Freedom Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Ajmal

SUHAIL]; People's Message Party of Afghanistan [Noor Aqa WAINEE];

People's Movement of the National Unity of Afghanistan [Abdul Hakim

NOORZAI]; People's Party of Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah ASAR]; People's

Prosperity Party of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad ZAREEF]; People's

Sovereignty Movement of Afghanistan [Hayatullah SUBHANEE]; People's

Uprising Party of Afghanistan [Sayed Zahir Qayed Omul BELADI];

People's Welfare Party of Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASIQ]; People's

Welfare Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ]; Progressive

Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Wali ARYA]; Republican Party

[Sebghatullah SANJAR]; Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq

NEMAT]; The Afghanistan's Mujahid Nation's Islamic Unity Movement

[Saeedullah SAEED]; The People of Afghanistan's Democratic Movement

[Sharif NAZARI]; Tribes Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad

Zarif NASERI]; Understanding and Democracy Party of Afghanistan

[Ahamad SHAHEEN]; United Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Wasil RAHIMEE];

United Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Wahidullah SABAWOON]; Young

Afghanistan's Islamic Organization [Sayed Jawad HUSSINEE]; Youth

Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil KARZAI]; note -

includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: religious groups; tribal leaders

International organization participation:

ADB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IDB, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO,

ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO

(guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Said Tayeb JAWAD chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483–6410 FAX: [1] (202) 483–6488 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806 telephone: [93] 0700 108 001 FAX: [93] 0700 108 564

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other two bands; the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan

Economy

Afghanistan

Economy - overview:

Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector, and service sector growth. Real GDP growth exceeded 7% in 2007. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, and the Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. It will probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from its current level, among the lowest in the world. International pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004–09. While the international community remains committed to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $24 billion at three donors' conferences since 2002, Kabul will need to overcome a number of challenges. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generate roughly $4 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy concerns. Other long-term challenges include: budget sustainability, job creation, corruption, government capacity, and rebuilding war torn infrastructure.