Afghanistan: Political Profile

By: Rashmi Patwardhan

Governmental Structure

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a unitary presidential republic, led by President Ashraf Ghani. The government is structured as three branches — executive, judicial, and legislative. As the head of state, Ghani, along with two vice presidents, makes up the executive branch. The president is elected to a five-year term, and can be elected twice, requiring an absolute majority vote. 

The legislative branch contains the Meshrano Jirga (House of Elders) and the Wolesi Jirga (House of People). The former serves in an advisory and veto capacity, while the latter creates and ratifies laws and provides checks to the executive branch. The Meshrano Jirga has 102 members, selected in part by the president and provincial and district councils. The Wolesi Jirga has 250 members elected to five-year terms.

The judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court, managed by nine justices appointed by the president and approved by the Wolesi Jirga. These justices are appointed to 10-year terms.

Political Landscape

Afghanistan functions under a multi-party system, meaning many parties work together to form coalition governments, as no party is strong enough to gain power alone. A variety of parties which seek different goals have become essential to the political landscape, but all share the underlying principles of Islam. One of the major parties is the Afghanistan Motahid Millat Gowand (Afghanistan United Nation Party), whose ideologies include socialism, secularism, and gender equality, shared by the National United Party of Afghanistan, the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan, and the Afghan Peace Movement, among others. Other large parties include Jamiat-e Islami (Islamic Society), Hezbi Jumhoori Afghanistan (Republican Party of Afghanistan), and Afghan Mellat (Afghan Social Democratic Party)

History

Because of its placement at the crossroads between the Middle East and Asia, Afghanistan has historically been a site of great political turmoil. The land that we know of today as Afghanistan was united as a country in the 1700s, and by the late 1800s, Arabic conquerors established Islam as the dominant religion within the region. 

Following British colonial oppression and multiple British-Afghan wars, Afghanistan gained its independence from Britain in 1921, after World War I. The country was established as a monarchy under Amir Amanullah Khan, who looked toward rebuilding. After his abdication, King Mohammad Zahir Shah came to power and brought a period of stability for 40 years. 

In the 1950s, the Soviet Union and Afghanistan became allies under the leadership of prime minister Mohammed Daoud Khan, who also passed social reforms allowing women to attend university and join the workforce. The Soviet Union provided economic and military support during this time. Following a coup to overthrow the monarchy, a Soviet-backed communist government came to power led by Khan, and communist leaders within Afghanistan created further social reforms in the areas of women’s rights and socioeconomic justice. In response, the Mujahideen, members of guerilla groups, formed to oppose this new government.

In 1979, the communist government began to falter, and was bolstered by Soviet forces. The United States, Britain, and China funded and armed the Mujahideen in response, leading to violence and causing millions of Afghan people to flee to neighboring Pakistan and Iran

In 1988, Al-Qaeda was formed, pledging to fight Soviet and American influences. Peace accords lead to the retreat of Soviet backed troops. Decades of violence, government turnover, drought, and famine paved the way for the rise of the Taliban, who initially promised peace following its formation in 1995. The Taliban restricted women’s ability to participate in public life, and cracked down heavily on drugs and crime, using public executions. During this time, more refugees fled to Pakistan. 

Following 9/11, the United States went to war against the Taliban. American and British forces weakened the Taliban and played a role in installing Hamid Karzai as president. Ashraf Ghani was later elected in 2014. The United States continues to hold troops within Afghanistan almost two decades later, despite the end of NATO’s combat mission. 

While the current U.S. administration has attempted to withdraw troops, official negotiations with the Taliban have given the group legitimacy and weakened Afghanistan’s government. Withdrawal is a difficult process, as it may create instability. However, relentless foreign influence in Afghanistan has contributed to decades of violence which civilians have been heavily impacted by, including through airstrikes. According to Brown University’s Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs, over 310,000 civilians have been killed since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

Many different legislators in Afghanistan are working through obstacles to push for self-advocacy, women’s rights, and reform. A rich and complex political history means a variety of determined, talented, and strong voices working to create the future.

References

“Afghanistan: Government.” >> GlobalEDGE: Your Source for Global Business Knowledge, Michigan State University, globaledge.msu.edu/countries/afghanistan/government.

Desk, News. “A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 4 May 2011, www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan.

Glinski, Stefanie. “Afghanistan's Female Politicians Refuse to Bow to Pressure.” The National, The National, 16 Aug. 2020, www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/afghanistan-s-female-politicians-refuse-to-bow-to-pressure-1.1064382.

Golby, Jim. “Trump Makes a Bad Situation Worse in Afghanistan.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 30 Nov. 2020, www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/trump-leaving-biden-mess-afghanistan/617229/.

“House of Elders (Afghanistan).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Elders_(Afghanistan).

“Human Costs.” The Costs of War, Sept. 2020, watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/human.

“IFES Election Guide: Elections: Afghanistan Presidential 2014 (Round 2).” IFES Election Guide | Elections: Afghanistan Presidential 2014 (Round 2), Election Guide, 2014, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/2793/.

“Multi-Multi-Party Democracy.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 20 Oct. 2005, www.economist.com/asia/2005/10/20/multi-multi-party-democracy.