List of Presidents of Afghanistan

Afghanistan

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This is a list of presidents of Afghanistan. Afghanistan has only intermittently been a republic - between 1973–1992 and from 2001 onwards - at other times being governed by a variety of kings, emirs and (under the mujahideen and Taliban regimes in the 1990s) Islamist rulers.

The present constitution of Afghanistan grants the president wide powers over military and legislative affairs, with a relatively weak national parliament. These were a subject of considerable controversy when debated by the country's loya jirga in December 2003. However, they were seen by the interim administration and its Western backers as being essential to securing the stability of Afghanistan.

The current president Hamid Karzai became the first ever democratically elected head of state in Afghanistan on December 7, 2004. He has begun the process of rebuilding his nation. The National Assembly is Afghanistan's national legislature. It is a bicameral body, composed of the House of the People and the House of the Elders. The current legislature was elected on September 18, 2005. The members of the Supreme Court were appointed by the president to form the judiciary. Together, this new system is to provide a new set of checks and balances that was unheard of in the country. Also, the system is quite new, implementation of which began only 2004, just after decades of war between different factions and warlords. The remnants of the warlords are almost non-existent. The United Nations and other governments and organizations play a vital role in rebuilding this new democracy's political environment.

Contents

Heads of state

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

# Name Born-Died Took office Left office Political Party
President of the Republic of Afghanistan
1 Mohammed Daoud Khan 1909–1978 17 July 1973 27 April 1978 Independent (until 1976)
National Revolutionary Party
Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of the Armed Forces of Afghanistan
2 Abdul Qadir Dagarwal 1944– 27 April 1978 30 April 1978 People's Democratic Party-Khalq faction
Chairmen of the Revolutionary Council of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
3 Nur Muhammad Taraki 1917–1979 30 April 1978 16 September 1979 People's Democratic Party-Khalq faction
4 Hafizullah Amin 1929–1979 16 September 1979 27 December 1979 People's Democratic Party-Khalq faction
5 Babrak Karmal 1929–1996 27 December 1979 24 November 1986 People's Democratic Party-Parcham faction
6 Haji Mohammad Chamkani 1947– 24 November 1986 30 September 1987 Independent
7 Mohammad Najibullah 1947–1996 30 September 1987 30 November 1987 People's Democratic Party-Parcham faction
Presidents of the Republic of Afghanistan
Mohammad Najibullah 1947–1996 30 November 1987 16 April 1992 People's Democratic Party-Parcham (until 1990)
Democratic Watan Party
8 Abdul Rahim Hatef 1925– 16 April 1992 28 April 1992 Democratic Watan Party
Presidents of the Islamic State of Afghanistan
9 Sibghatullah Mojaddedi 1926– 28 April 1992 28 June 1992 National Liberation Front of Afghanistan
10 Burhanuddin Rabbani 1940–2011 28 June 1992 27 September 1996 Jamiat-e Islami
Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
11 Mullah Mohammed Omar c. 1959– 27 September 1996 13 November 2001 Taliban
President of the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan
12 Burhanuddin Rabbani 1940–2011 27 September 1996 13 November 2001 Jamiat-e Islami
Northern Alliance
Presidents of the Islamic Transitional State of Afghanistan
12 Burhanuddin Rabbani 1940–2011 13 November 2001 22 December 2001 Jamiat-e Islami
Northern Alliance
13 Hamid Karzai 1957– 22 December 2001 7 December 2004 Independent
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Hamid Karzai 1957– 7 December 2004 Incumbent Independent

Notes

Name Notes
Abdul Qadir Dagarwal Under the military dictatorship the title was the Chairman of the Military Revolutionary Council.[1]
— After the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan after the Saur Revolution. The government gave the president position a new title. The new title was Chairman of the Revolutionary Council.[2]
Mullah Mohammed Omar Under the rule of the Taliban, the new presidential title was Head of the Supreme Council.[3]
Hamid Karzai From 22 December 2001 to 19 June 2002 Karzai was the Chairman of the Transitional Administration.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Henry St. Amant Bradsher. Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Google Books. ISBN 9780822305637. http://books.google.com/books?id=v0THAAAAIAAJ&q=Abdul+Qadir+Dagarwal&dq=Abdul+Qadir+Dagarwal&hl=no&pgis=1. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 
  2. ^ Amos Jenkins Peaslee and Dorothy Peaslee Xydis. Constitutions of Nations. Google Books. ISBN 9789024729050. http://books.google.com/books?id=EK85EzRCzXwC&pg=PA12&dq=President+of+the+Revolutionary+Council+Afghanistan&hl=no. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 
  3. ^ Information, Library; Service, Research. The Middle East. Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=5aptAAAAMAAJ&q=Mohammed+Omar+Head+of+the+Supreme+Council&dq=Mohammed+Omar+Head+of+the+Supreme+Council&hl=no&pgis=1. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 
  4. ^ Oliver North and Chuck Holton. American Heroes: In the Fight Against Radical Islam. Google Books. ISBN 9780805447118. http://books.google.com/books?id=ju9RAcRiShsC&pg=PA52&dq=Hamid+Karzai+Chairman+of+the+Transitional+Administration&hl=no. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 

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