Election Profile:

Flag of Afghanistan Source for election date

At stake in this election:

  • The office of President of Afghanistan

Description of government structure:

  • Chief of State: President Hamid KARZAI *
  • Head of Government: Head of Government Hamid KARZAI
  • Assembly: Afghanistan has a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the House of People (Wolesi Jirga) with 250 seats and the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga) with 102 seats.

* Under the newly approved constitution, the president and his two vice presidents are elected into office via direct popular vote to serve 5-year terms.

Description of electoral system:

  • The President is elected by direct popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
  • In the House of People (Wolesi Jirga) 249 members are elected by direct vote to serve 5-year terms*.

* Note: Afghanistan will not have a functioning assembly until January 2004. In the interim, the Emergency Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) acts as the country’s parliamentary body.

** The members of the House of Elders will be chosen by their provincial and district councils. The president will also be allowed to nominate candidates to the House of Elders. The nominees will include two representatives of the Kuchi community, two representatives for the disabled. It is also required that half the nominees are women.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

  • Hamid KARZAI
    Party: Independent
  • Mohammad Yunos QANUNI
    Party: National Liberation Front
  • Hahi Mohammad MOHAQIQ***
    Party: Independent
  • Abdul Rashid DOSTUM****
    Party: Independent
  • Abdul Latif PIDRAM
    Party: National Congress Party of Afghanistan
  • Masooda JALAL
    Party: Independent
  • Sayed Ashaq GILANI
    Party: National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan
  • Ahmad Shah AHMADZAI
    Party: Independent (Islamic Call Organization of Afghanistan)
  • Abdul Satar SIRAT
    Party: Independent
  • Homayoon Shah AASIFI**********
    Party: Independent
  • Ghulam Farooq NEJRABI
    Party: Afghanistan Independence Party
  • Sayed Abdul Hadi DABIR
    Party: Independent
  • Abdul Hafiz MANSOOR*************
    Party: Independent
  • Abdul Hadi KHALILZAI
    Party: Independent
  • Mir Mahfuz NEDAHI
    Party: Independent
  • Mohammad Abrahim RASHID
    Party: Independent
  • Wakil MANGAL
    Party: Independent
  • Abdul Hasib AARIAN
    Party: Independent

*** Hahi Mohammad MOHAQIQ is running as independent in this election, but he is the party leader of the Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan.
**** Abdul Rashid DOSTUM is running as independent in this election, but he is the leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan.
********** Homayoon Shah AASIFI is running as independent in this election, though he is closely identified with the National Unity Movement.
************* Abdul Hafiz MANSOOR is running as independent in this election, but is a member of the Burhanuddin Rabbani's Islamic Society of Afghanistan.

Last Presidential election:

  • This was the first time Afghanistan held presidential elections since the establishment of the transitional government.

Population and number of registered voters:

  • Population: 28,513,677 (July 2004 est.)
  • Registered Voters: 9,716,413 (September 2004 official release)

Last Updated on 12/28/2005