Solidarity Party of Afghanistan

Solidarity Party of Afghanistan
Leader Hafiz Rasikh[1]
Founded 17 April 2004
Headquarters Kabul
Ideology Secularism
Social democracy
Women's rights
Democratic reform
Anti-Imperialism
Left-wing nationalism
Political position Left-wing
Seats in the House of the People
0 / 249
Seats in the House of Elders
1 / 102
Website
hambastagi.org
Facebook
Politics of Afghanistan
Political parties
Elections

The Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (Persian: حزب همبستگی افغانستان) (SPA) is a small, left-wing political party in Afghanistan.[2] The party platform focuses on four main issues: secularism, women's rights, democracy, and opposition to the US/NATO presence in Afghanistan.[3] The party is strongly critical of the Afghan government, which it views as corrupt, fundamentalist, and dominated by warlords.[3] The party claims a membership of some 30,000.[3]

History

The party boycotted the 2005 and 2010 parliamentary elections, and has one senator in the House of Elders.[2]

The party was suspended in June 2012 following a Kabul demonstration in late April 2012 where the party accused a number of Afghan leaders, including former leaders and commanders, of committing war crimes over the last three decades of conflict, and demanded they be brought to justice.[2]

The SPA boycotted the 2004, 2009, and 2014 Afghan Presidential elections as the party alleges that an individual cannot be elected without the approval of the US government.[3] The party does, however, take part in provincial elections as it believes these elections to be more democratic and harder for central government to control or rig.[3] No SPA members ran in the 2013 provincial elections, although the party did support certain candidates.[3]

References