Country Profile:

Upcoming Elections

  • Parliamentary
    September 18, 2010
  • Presidential
    2014
Afghanistan

Description of government structure:

  • Chief of State: President Hamid KARZAI *
  • Head of Government: President Hamid KARZAI
  • Assembly: Afghanistan has a bicameral National Assembly (Jirga) consisting of the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga) with 102 seats and the House of People (Wolesi Jirga) with 249 seats.

* The electoral system is two-round.

Description of electoral system:

  • The President is elected by absolute majority vote to serve a 5-year term.
  • In the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga), 34 members are elected by regional legislatures to serve 4-year terms, 34 members are elected by regional legislatures to serve 3-year terms and 34 members are appointed by the President to serve 5-year terms*. In the House of People (Wolesi Jirga) 249 members are elected by single non-transferable vote to serve 5-year terms.**

* Each Provincial Council elects one of its members to the House of Elders under a two-round system. (4-year term.) Each District Council elects one of its members to the House of Elders under a two-round system. (3-year term.) Due to the fact that district boundaries had not yet been established, District Councils did not elect members to the House of Elders in 2005. To compensate, provincial councils each elected two members.

** There are 34 multi-member districts corresponding to the 34 provinces. Seats are allocated in proportion to provincial population. District magnitudes range from 2 to 33.

Population:

  • Population: 33,609,937 (July 2009 est.)

Future elections

  • Presidential - 2014
  • Parliamentary - September 18, 2010

Past elections

Last Updated on 08/17/2005