Republican Party (Afghanistan)

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Republican Party of Afghanistan (Persian: حزب جمهوریخواهان افغانستان‎, Hezb-e Jomhorikhahan-e Afghanistan) is a political party in Afghanistan. When the party was founded in 1999, it declared the UN Human Rights Declaration as the programme of the party. Its founders belonged to the political elite of the Daoud regime. Zia Arya'i Waziri became the leader of the party and Ghausuddin Fa'eq (Minister of Public Works in Daoud's government) was seen as an influential supporter of the party. A rariety amongst Afghan political factions, its membership transcends ethnic boundaries.^[1]

The party established liasons with the UN Special Mission to Afghanistan office in Kabul, and was invited to the 2001 Bonn conference. However, a shift in the UNSMA office resulted in the group being degraded to observers at the conference. Along with other democratic sections that had been invited to the Bonn conference, the party took part in founding the Council of Defenders of Peace and Democracy in the spring of 2002, just weeks before the opening of the Emergency Loya Jirga. In late 2002, the leadership of the party was passed over to Sibghatullah Sanjar, after an election within the party ranks.^[1]

During the constitutional Loya jirga of 2003, the Party announced its support for a presidential system in the future constitution of Afghanistan. The Party also expressed its support for free education and health care. As of 2003, the party claimed to have 35 000 members across the country.^[2]

On 6 March 2004, it became the first political party to register at the Ministry of Justice under the new system.^[1]

On October 1, 2005 it took part in founding the Advisory Commission of National and Democratic Parties (AC-NDP), a broad coalition of factions opposed to 'warlordism'. However it soon withdrew from the new structure.^[1]

Adla Bahram is the director of women's affairs of the party.^[3]