At stake in this election:

• 102 seats in the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Hamid KARZAI *
• Head of Government: President Hamid KARZAI
• 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.

* The president is both chief of state and head of government.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 5-year term.
• In the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga), 34 members are elected by regional legislatures to serve 4-year terms, 34 members are elected by regional legislatures to serve 3-year terms and 34 members are appointed by the President to serve 5-year terms*. In the House of People (Wolesi Jirga) 249 members are elected by single non-transferable vote to serve 5-year terms.**

* Each Provincial Council elects one of its members to the House of Elders under a two-round system. (4-year term.) Each District Council elects one of its members to the House of Elders under a two-round system. (3-year term.) Due to the fact that district boundaries had not yet been established, District Councils did not elect members to the House of Elders in 2005. To compensate, provincial councils each elected two members.

** There are 34 multi-member districts corresponding to the 34 provinces. Seats are allocated in proportion to provincial population. District magnitudes range from 2 to 33.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Youth Solidarity Party of Afghanistan / Hezb-e-Hambastagee Mili Jawanan-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Mohammad Jamil KARZAI
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: Afghan Nation / Hezb-e-Afghan Melat
  • Leader: Anwarul Haq AHADI
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: National Congress Party of Afghanistan / Hezb-e-Kangra-e-Mili-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Abdul Latif PEDRAM
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan / Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Mohammad Karim KHALILI
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan / Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardom-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Haji Mohammad MUHAQEQ
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: National Movement of Afghanistan / Nahzat-e-Mili Afghanistan
  • Leader: Ahmad Wali MASSOUD
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan / Hezb-e-Junbish Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Sayed NOORULLAH
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: National Islamic Front of Afghanistan / Hezb-e-Mahaz-e-Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Peer Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: Islamic People's Movement of Afghanistan / Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Islami Mardom-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Ilhaj Sayed Hussin ANWARY
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: 0
• Party: Party of the Islamic Society of Afghanistan / Hezb-e-Jamihat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Ustad RABANEE
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: Afghanistan's Islamic Mission Organization / Tanzim Dawat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan
  • Leader: Abdul Rab Rasoul SAYAF
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A
• Party: Afghanistan Party / Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Naween)
  • Leader: Mohammad Younus QANONI
  • Seats won in last House of Elders election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• This is the first time Afghanistan held parliamentary elections since the establishment of the transitional government.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 29,928,987 (July 2005 est.)
• Registered Voters: 12,500,000 (September 2005 est.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 11,783,622 (2005)

·         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: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 23 (22.55%) (2005)

·         Human Development Index Position: 171 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Afghanistan a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Afghanistan ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (18 September 2012)

·         Population with a disability: 4,489,348 (est.)