President of Afghanistan

The President of Afghanistan is Afghanistan's head of state, head of government, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Related Topics:
Afghanistan - Head of state - Head of government - Commander-in-chief

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The current President of Afghanistan is Hamid Karzai, as of December 2004. He is the first democratically elected holder of that post.

Related Topics:
Hamid Karzai - December - 2004

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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.

Related Topics:
Republic - 1973 - 1992 - 2001 - King - Emir - Mujahideen - Taliban - 1990s

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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.

Related Topics:
Constitution of Afghanistan - Parliament - Loya jirga - December - 2003

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