President of Afghanistan

office of the head of state of Afghanistan

The President of Afghanistan was the head of state of Afghanistan. Afghanistan has only been a republic between 1973 and 1992 and from 2001 onwards. Before 1973, it was a monarchy that was governed by a variety of kings, emirs or shahs. There was a civil war from 1992 to 2001.

President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
د افغانستان د اسلامي جمهوریت جمهور رئیس
رئيس جمهور جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان
StatusOffice abolished
ResidenceThe Arg, Kabul, Afghanistan (former)
Term length5 years, renewable once
Inaugural holderMohammed Daoud Khan (Republic)
Hamid Karzai (Islamic Republic)
Formation17 July 1973 (Republic)
7 December 2004 (Islamic Republic)
Final holderAshraf Ghani
Abolished15 August 2021 (Fall of Kabul)
6 September 2021 (official)
DeputyVice President of Afghanistan
Salary960,000 AFN per month[1]
Websitepresident.gov.af/en

After the 2021 Taliban offensive and the near seizure of the capital, incumbent President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan to Tajikistan on 15 August 2021.[2][3] After Ghani fled the country, the Taliban occupied the Presidential Palace. The office was abolished on 6th September 2021.

Powers

change

The constitution of Afghanistan gave the president wide powers over military and legislative affairs. There was a weak national parliament.

Name Portrait Lifespan Term of office Political party
Took office Left office Time in office
Republic of Afghanistan (1973–1978)
Mohammed Daoud Khan   1909–1978 17 July 1973 28 April 1978 4 years, 285 days Independent
(until 1976)
National Revolutionary Party
President; Member of the Barakzai dynasty (first cousin of Mohammed Zahir Shah); Assassinated with most of his family during the Saur Revolution.[4] Shortly afterwards, the new military leaders announced that Khan was killed for refusing to surrender.[5]
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978–1992)
Colonel
Abdul Qadir
  1944–2014 28 April 1978 30 April 1978 2 days People's Democratic Party
(Khalq faction)
Chairman of the Presidium of the Military Revolutionary Council
Nur Muhammad Taraki   1917–1979 30 April 1978 14 September 1979 1 year, 137 days People's Democratic Party
(Khalq faction)
Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Assassinated by orders of Hafizullah Amin
Hafizullah Amin 1929–1979 14 September 1979 27 December 1979 104 days People's Democratic Party
(Khalq faction)
Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Assassinated by Soviet special forces during the Operation Storm-333[6]
Babrak Karmal   1929–1996 27 December 1979 24 November 1986 6 years, 332 days People's Democratic Party
(Parcham faction)
Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Dismissed
Haji Mohammad Chamkani   1947–2012 24 November 1986 30 September 1987 310 days Independent
Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Appointed as part of the National Reconciliation process
Mohammad Najibullah   1947–1996 30 September 1987 16 April 1992 4 years, 199 days People's Democratic Party
(Parcham faction)
(until 1990)
Homeland Party
President (Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council until 30 November 1987); Resigned
Abdul Rahim Hatif   1926–2013 16 April 1992 28 April 1992 12 days Homeland Party
Acting President; Deposed
Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992–2002)
Sibghatullah Mojaddedi   1926–2019 28 April 1992 28 June 1992 61 days National Liberation Front of Afghanistan
Acting President; Resigned
Burhanuddin Rabbani   1940–2011 28 June 1992 22 December 2001 9 years, 167 days Jamiat-e Islami
President; Between 1996 and 2001, the Islamic State remained the internationally recognized government, despite only controlling about 10% of Afghan territory
Hamid Karzai   born 1957 22 December 2001 13 July 2002 203 days Independent
Acting President
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)
Mullah
Mohammed Omar
1960–2013 27 September 1996 13 November 2001 5 years, 47 days Taliban
Emir and Commander of the Faithful; The Islamic Emirate never attained widespread international recognition, despite controlling about 90% of Afghan territory; Deposed
Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (2002–2004)
Hamid Karzai   born 1957 13 July 2002 7 December 2004 2 years, 147 days Independent
Transitional President; Appointed at the 2002 loya jirga
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021)
Hamid Karzai   born 1957 7 December 2004 29 September 2014 9 years, 296 days Independent
President; First democratically elected head of state; Elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2009
Ashraf Ghani   born 1949 29 September 2014 15 August 2021 6 years, 320 days Independent
President; First peaceful transition of power; Elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2019; He escaped from Afghanistan, during the Fall of Kabul[7]
Amrullah Saleh   born 1972 17 August 2021 6 September 2021 20 days Independent
First Vice President; Claimed the position of caretaker president based on Article 67 of the 2004 Constitution[8]
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021–present)
Mawlawi
Hibatullah Akhundzada
born 1961 15 August 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 74 days Taliban
Emir and Commander of the Faithful; The Islamic Emirate is currently not internationally recognized, despite controlling majority of Afghan territory

References

change
  1. "Afghanistan's lower house approves President Karzai's salary and expenses amount". Wadsam. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  2. Mishal Husain, Paul Adams, Malik Mudassir, Ben Wright, Jon Sopel (15 August 2021). Taliban seize power in Afghanistan as President flees country (Television production). London: BBC News. Retrieved 15 August 2021 – via YouTube.
  3. "President Ashraf Ghani leaves Afghanistan: Live". Al Jazeera. August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  4. "There was, therefore, little to hinder the assault mounted by the rebel 4th Armored Brigade, led by Major Mohammad Aslam Watanjar, who had also been prominent in Daoud's own coup five years before. Watanjar first secured the airport, where the other coup leader, Colonel Abdul Qadir, left by helicopter for the Bagram air base. There he took charge and organized air strikes on the presidential palace, where Daoud and the presidential guard were conducting a desperate defense. Fighting continued the whole day and into the night, when the defenders were finally overwhelmed. Daoud and almost all of his family members, including women and children, died in the fighting. Altogether there were possibly as many as two thousand fatalities, both military and civilian." p. 88 of Ewans, Martin (2002) Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics HarperCollins, New York, Page 88 ISBN 0-06-050507-9
  5. "1978: Afghan coup rebels claim victory". April 29, 1978 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  6. "How Soviet troops stormed Kabul palace". BBC. 27 December 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/16/world/asia/afghanistan-president-ashraf-ghani.html. Retrieved 31 August 2021
  8. Landay, Jonathan; Macfie, Nick; Boyle, John (17 August 2021). "Afghan vice president says he is "caretaker" president". Reuters. Retrieved 17 August 2021.

Other websites

change