Afghan Social Democratic Party
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The Afghan Social Democratic Party is a political party in Afghanistan. The size of the party is not available yet, since parliamentary elections have not yet been held. The party is also applying for observer status in Socialist International.
[edit] History
According to the party's site, it was founded in 1966.
[edit] External links
The fourth Congress of the Afghan Social Democrat Party (ASDP) adopted a new manifesto on July 28, 1995. The manifesto discusses the political, economic, and social principles of the ASDP. The following is the executive summary of these principles. The ASDP considers the independence, territorial integrity, and national sovereignty of Afghanistan among its primary values; the ASDP will never compromise on these principles. The ASDP supports the Afghan and Islamic identity of the state. The ASDP supports a unitary administrative system and rejects a federal structure that accentuates ethnic divisions in Afghanistan. The ASDP recognizes the dominant role of Islam in the political and social life of Afghans and supports the establishment of an Islam-based legal system in Afghanistan. The ASDP recognizes the legitimacy of only those governments that are elected by the people; the ASDP supports the principles of parliamentary democracy and proportional representation. While the ASDP considers the freedom of political parties as essential to democracy, it is against allowing freedom of political activities to authoritarian/totalitarian groups that not only do not believe in democracy, but also intend to destroy it. The ASDP supports the operation of non-governmental economic, social, and professional organizations; the ASDP believes that the strength of such non-governmental organizations is essential for the development of a civil society that nourishes democracy. The ASDP advocates the continuation of strong links between Afghan immigrants throughout the world and their fatherland, Afghanistan. The ASDP supports friendly relations between Afghanistan and all other countries, especially the neighboring and Islamic countries. However, we strongly oppose the interference of other countries in the domestic affairs of Afghanistan. The ASDP considers arms races in the World in general, and in our region in particular, a waste of valuable resources, and supports the peaceful resolution of conflict between states. And, the ASDP strongly supports the observance of human rights throughout the World. In economic matters, the ASDP supports the mixed economy model. The ASDP advocates a strong private sector based on the principle of free market. The ASDP respects the principle of private property. However, the ASDP also supports a strong and dynamic public sector. The ASDP wants the state to develop those profitable industries that do not attract private investment, and privatize them, at market value, whenever the private sector is ready to invest in these industries. The ASDP is willing to accept state monopoly of certain businesses provided that such a monopoly is in the best interest of the society as a whole and not a source of unlawful income for corrupt government bureaucrats. The ASDP insists that every few years the government explain its economic development strategy to the nation. The ASDP supports the development of those industries in which Afghanistan enjoys comparative advantage. The ASDP believes that relative to its population, Afghanistan has limited amount of agricultural land. Consequently, the ASDP believes that land redistribution cannot solve the economic problems of the peasants in Afghanistan; hence the ASDP insists that land should be managed as commercial enterprises. We believe that increasing productivity in agricultural sector is essential for solving the economic problems of the peasantry; both the landlords and peasants ought to benefit from the increase in agricultural productivity. The ASDP believes that Afghanistan has excellent climate for growing fruits; hence the ASDP supports the development of fruits-related industries in Afghanistan. The ASDP supports the development of mining and wants the government to facilitate international investment in this sector. The ASDP rejects class war, but believes in the right of all Afghans to form unions to defend their economic interests. The ASDP supports a close relation between educational institutions and the need of the economy for skilled labor. And, the ASDP believes in progressive taxation, a balanced budget, and monetary stability. In social matters, the ASDP appreciates the role of both Islamic and Afghan values in the culture of Afghanistan. The ASDP supports cultural interaction between Afghanistan and other cultures of the World. The ASDP advocates the development of all languages spoken in Afghanistan, but recognizes only Pashto and Dari as official languages and Pashto as the national language. The ASDP believes that women have the right to vote and run for office; they have the right to seek employment, with just compensation, out of their household; and they have the same rights as men regarding education. The ASDP supports free public education for all citizens. In higher education, the ASDP emphasizes the practical, instead of the theoretical, aspect learning. The ASDP wants an educational curriculum that will instill Islamic, patriotic, democratic and humanitarian values in students. The ASDP believes in science and reason, supports the freedom of scholarship, and rejects the imposition of ideological restrictions on scholarly research. And, the ASDP supports the development of art, literature, music and sports.
