Chief of State and Head of Government: Hamid KARZAI
Assembly:
Under the new constitution, Afghanistan will have a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the House of People (Wolesi Jirga) with maximum 249 members and the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga) with 102 seats.
Description of
electoral system:
The president
is elected by direct vote to serve a five-year term.
Under the new constitution, in the House of People (Wolesi Jirga), 249 members will be directly elected to serve five-year terms. In the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga), 34 members will be elected from provincial councils for four-year terms, 34 from local district councils for three-year terms, and 34 will be appointed by the president to serve five-year terms. The presidential appointees will include two representatives of Kuchis and two representatives of the disabled; half of the presidential appointees will be women.
Main parties in the electoral race:
Party: Youth Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Hambastagee Mili Jawanan-e-Afghanistan)
Leader: Mohammad Jamil KARZAI
Party: Afghan Nation (Hezb-e-Afghan Melat)
Leader: Anwarul Haq AHADI
Party: National Congress Party of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Kangra-e-Mili-e-Afghanistan)
Leader: Abdul Latif PEDRAM
Party: Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan)
Leader: Mohammad Karim KHALILI
Party: Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardom-e-Afghanistan)
Leader: Haji Mohammad MUHAQEQ
Party: National Movement of Afghanistan (Nahzat-e-Mili Afghanistan)
Leader: Ahmad Wali MASSOUD
Party: National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Junbish Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan)
Leader: Sayed NOORULLAH
Party: National Islamic Front of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Mahaz-e-Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan)
Leader: Peer Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE
Party: Islamic People's Movement of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Islami Mardom-e-Afghanistan)
Leader: Ilhaj Sayed Hussin ANWARY
Party: Party of the Islamic Society of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Jamihat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan)
Leader: Ustad RABANEE
Party: New Afghanistan Party (Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Naween)
Leader: Mohammad Younus QANONI
When was the last election?
This is the first time Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections since the establishment of the transitional government.
Population
and number of registered voters:
Population: 29,928,987 (July 2005 est.)
Number of registered
voters: 12,500,000 (September 2005 est.)
Of interest:
2,760 candidates will contest 249 seats in the House of People (Wolesi Jirga). In parallel to this vote, 3,016 candidates will be running for a total of 420 seats on 34 Provincial Councils.
SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ELECTION SYSTEMS (IFES)
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