IFES
 

Sept. 28, 2019 Held

Afghanistan
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Election for Afghan Presidency


General Information

At stake in this election:

  • The office of the President of Afghanistan*.

The election was originally scheduled for 20 April 2019, but has been pushed back twice.

Description of government structure:

  • Chief of State: President Ashraf GHANI[1]
  • Head of Government: President Ashraf GHANI
  • Assembly: Afghanistan has a bicameral National Assembly (Jirga) consisting of the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga) with 102 seats and the House of People (Wolesi Jirga) with 249 seats.

Description of electoral system:

  • The president is elected by an absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a five-year term. Vice presidential candidates are appointed by the president then elected by direct popular vote.[2]
  • The House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga) has 102 members: 34 elected by regional legislatures, 34 elected by regional legislatures for shorter terms, and 34 elected by the president[3].
  • The House of People (Wolesi Jirga) is elected through the single non-transferable voting (SNTV) system[4].

Main candidates in the election[5]:

There are 16 candidates:

  • Ashraf GHANI (Incumbent President)
    • Party: Independent
    • Running Mates: Amrullah SALEH and Sarwar DANISH
  • Abdul Latif PEDRAM (Member of the Parliament)
    • Party: National Congress Party of Afghanistan / حزب کنگره ملی افغانستان
    • Running Mates: Ehsanullah HAIDARI and Mohammad Sadeq WARDAK
  • Mohammad Ibrahim ALOKOZAI
    • Coalition: Afghanistan National Consensus
    • Running Mates: Khadija GHAZNAWI and Sayyed Same KAYANI
  • Ghulam Farouq Nejrabi
    • Party: Hezb-e-Istiqlal-e-Afghanistan
    • Running Mates: SHARIFULLAH and Mohammad Sharif BABAKARKHEL
  • Faramarz Tamanna (Former Director General of the Center for Strategic Studies)
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Sayyed Qias SAIDI and Mohammad Amin RESHADAT
  • Shaida Mohammad Abdali (Ambassador to India)
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Abdul Basir SALANGI and Zulfiqar OMID
  • Nur Rahman Liwal
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Abdul Hadi ZUL-HEKMAT and Mohammad Yahya WYAR
  • Enayatullah Hafiz
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Jannat Khan Fahim CHAKARI and Abdul Jamil SHIRANI
  • Mohammad Shohab Hakimi
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Nur ul-Habib HASIR and Abdul Ali SARABI
  • Ahmad Wali Massoud
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates:  Farida MOHMAND and Latif NAZARI
  • Mohammad Hakim Tursun
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Murad Ali MURAD and Massuda JALAL
  • Rahmatullah Nabil (Former Head of the National Directorate of Security)
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Murad Ali MURAD and Massuda JALAL
  • Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (Former Prime Minister)
    • Political Party: Hezb-e Islami
    • Running Mates: Fazl ul-Hadi WAZIN and Hafiz ul-Rahman NAQI
  • Nurullah Jalili
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Khalil ROMAN and Cheragh Ali CHERAGH
  • Abdullah Abdullah (Incumbent Chief Executive)
    • Party: Jamiat-e Islami
    • Running Mates: Enayatullah Babur FARAHMAND and Asadullah SADATI
  • Nur ul-Haq Ulumi (Former Minister of Interior)
    • Party: N/A
    • Running Mates: Bashir BEZHAN and Mohammad Naim GHAYUR

* Former Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasul withdrew his candidacy on August 6 in favor of Ashraf Ghani[6].

** Mohammad Hanif Atmar (Former National Security Adviser and Minister of Interior suspended his campaign due to the poor security situation and the ongoing peace process[7].

Population and number of registered voters:

  • Population: 34,940,837 (July 2018 est.)[8]
  • Registered Voters: 8,834,708 (2019)[9]
  • Women: 3,031,136
  • Men: 5,632,395

Gender Data:

  • Female Population: 17,236,912[10]
  • Is Afghanistan a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (14 August 1980)
  • Has Afghanistan ratified CEDAW: Yes (5 March 2003)
  • Gender Quota: Yes
  • Female candidates in this election: 0
  • Number of Female Parliamentarians: 84[11]
  • Wolesi Jirga / House of the People: 68 (27%)
  • Meshrano Jirga / House of Elders: 16 (16%)
  • Human Development Index Position: 168[12]
  • Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very high[13]

Disability Data:

  • Is Afghanistan a signatory to CRPD: No
  • Has Afghanistan ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (18 September 2012)
  • Population with a disability: 4,884,651 (according to World Health Organization’s 15% estimate)

 

 

Election Modified: Jun 21, 2024

Most Recent Elections in Afghanistan

With Participation Rates