The president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was constitutionally the head of state and head of government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021) and Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces.
| President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | |
|---|---|
| د افغانستان ولسمشر (Pashto) رئیس جمهور افغانستان (Dari) | |
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| Status | Office abolished |
| Member of | Cabinet |
| Residence | The Arg |
| Seat | Kabul |
| Appointer | Direct election |
| Term length | 5 years, renewable once |
| Precursor | King of Afghanistan |
| Formation |
|
| First holder | Mohammed Daoud Khan |
| Final holder | Ashraf Ghani |
| Abolished | 15 August 2021 |
| Superseded by | Supreme Leader |
| Deputy | Vice President |
| Salary | Afs. 960,000 monthly[1] |
| Website | president.gov.af (inactive) (15 August 2021 archive) |
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On 15 August 2021, as the Taliban took over Kabul, President Ashraf Ghani and took refuge in the United Arab Emirates.[2][3] After Ghani, the Taliban occupied the Arg presidential palace.[2]
Eligibility and selection process
Article 62 of the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan stated that a candidate for the office of President had to:[4]
- be a citizen of Afghanistan, Muslim, born of Afghan parents;
- not be a citizen of another country;
- be at least forty years old when declaring candidacy;
- not have been convicted of crimes against humanity, a criminal act or deprived of civil rights by a court;
- not have previously served more than two terms as president.
Powers
The 2004 Constitution granted the president wide powers over military and legislative affairs, with a relatively weak national bicameral National Assembly, the House of the People (Wolesi Jirga) and the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga). A president could only serve up to two five-year terms.
Hamid Karzai began his first five-year term in 2004.[5] After his second term ended in 2014, Ashraf Ghani was elected as the next Afghan president.[6]
Last election
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashraf Ghani | Independent | 923,592 | 50.64 | |
| Abdullah Abdullah | National Coalition | 720,841 | 39.52 | |
| Gulbuddin Hekmatyar | Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin | 70,241 | 3.85 | |
| Rahmatullah Nabil | Independent | 33,919 | 1.86 | |
| Faramarz Tamanna | Independent | 18,063 | 0.99 | |
| Noorullah Jalili | Independent | 15,519 | 0.85 | |
| Abdul Latif Pedram | National Congress Party | 12,608 | 0.69 | |
| Enayatullah Hafiz | Independent | 11,375 | 0.62 | |
| Mohammad Hakim Torsan | Independent | 6,500 | 0.36 | |
| Ahmad Wali Massoud | Independent | 3,942 | 0.22 | |
| Mohammad Shahab Hakimi | Independent | 3,318 | 0.18 | |
| Ghulam Farooq Najrabi | Independent | 1,608 | 0.09 | |
| Mohammad Hanif Atmar | Truth and Justice | 1,567 | 0.09 | |
| Noor Rahman Lewal | Independent | 855 | 0.05 | |
| Total | 1,823,948 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 9,665,745 | 18.87 | ||
| Source: IEC | ||||
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