Afghanistan Government

What is the capital of Afghanistan?

Country Name	Afghanistan
Full Country Name	Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Local - Long	Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan
Local - Short	Afghanistan
Former Name	Republic of Afghanistan
Etymology- history of name	The name "Afghan" originally referred to the Pashtun people (today it is understood to include all the country's ethnic groups), while the suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country"; so Afghanistan literally means the "Land of the Afghans"
Government Type	Presidential Islamic republic
Capital Name	Kabul
Capital - geographic coordinate	34 31 N, 69 11 E
Capital Time Difference	UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence	19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
National Holiday	Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Constitution	History: several previous; latest drafted 14 December 2003 - 4 January 2004, signed 16 January 2004, ratified 26 January 2004 Amendments: proposed by a commission formed by presidential decree followed by the convention of a Grand Council (Loya Jirga) decreed by the president; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote of the Loya Jirga membership and endorsement by the president

Afghanistan Capital City Map

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Afghanistan Government and Politics

Who is the president of Afghanistan?

Executive Branch:	IN EXILE Chief of State: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf GHANI (since 29 September 2014); CEO Abdullah ABDULLAH, Dr. (since 29 September 2014); First Vice President Abdul Rashid DOSTAM (since 29 September 2014); Second Vice President Sarwar DANESH (since 29 September 2014); First Deputy CEO Khyal Mohammad KHAN; Second Deputy CEO Mohammad MOHAQQEQ; note - the president is both chief of state and head of government IN EXILE Head of Government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf GHANI (since 29 September 2014); CEO Abdullah ABDULLAH, Dr. (since 29 September 2014); First Vice President Abdul Rashid DOSTAM (since 29 September 2014); Second Vice President Sarwar DANESH (since 29 September 2014); First Deputy CEO Khyal Mohammad KHAN; Second Deputy CEO Mohammad MOHAQQEQ Cabinet: Cabinet consists of 25 ministers appointed by the president, and approved by the National Assembly Elections/Appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 September 2019 (next to be held in 2024) Election Results: Ashraf GHANI was declared the winner by the Independent Election Commission on 18 February 2020; Ashraf GHANI 50.6%, Abdullah ABDULLAH, Dr. 39.5%, other 0.9%
Citizenship Criteria:	Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent Only: at least one parent must have been born in - and continuously lived in - Afghanistan Dual Citizenship Recognized: no Residency Requirement for Naturalization: 5 years
Legal System:	A mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch:	Description: bicameral National Assembly consists of: Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats; 34 members indirectly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed by district councils to serve 3-year terms, 34 indirectly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed by provincial councils to serve 4-year terms, and 34 appointed by the president from nominations by civic groups, political parties, and the public, of which 17 must be women, 2 must represent the disabled, and 2 must be Kuchi nomads; presidential appointees serve 5-year terms) Wolesi Jirga or House of People (250 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms) Elections: Meshrano Jirga - district councils - within 5 days of installation; provincial councils - within 15 days of installation; presidential appointees - within 2 weeks after the presidential inauguration Wolesi Jirga - last held on 20 October 2018) (next to be held in 2023) Election Results: Meshrano Jirga - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 84, women 18, percent of women 17.6% Wolesi Jirga - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party - NA; composition - NA Note: the constitution allows the government to convene a constitutional Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it consists of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils; a Loya Jirga can amend provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; no constitutional Loya Jirga has ever been held, and district councils have never been elected; the president appointed 34 members of the Meshrano Jirga that the district councils should have indirectly elected
Judicial Branch:	Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Stera Mahkama (consists of the supreme court chief and 8 justices organized into criminal, public security, civil, and commercial divisions or dewans) Judge Selection and Term of Office: court chief and justices are appointed by the president with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga; the court chief and justices serve single 10-year terms Subordinate Courts: Appeals Courts; Primary Courts; Special Courts for issues including narcotics, security, property, family, and juveniles
Regions or States:	34 provinces (welayat, singular - welayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul
Political Parties and Leaders:	Note - the Ministry of Justice licensed 57 political parties as of September 2016
International Law Organization Participation:	Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation:	ADB, CICA, CP, ECO, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (dialogue member), UN, UNAMA, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic Representation in the US:	Chief of Mission: Ambassador Kare AAS Chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 Telephone: [1] (202) 483-6410 FAX: [1] (202) 483-6488 Consulate(s) General: Los Angeles, New York, Washington, DC
Diplomatic Representation from US:	Chief of Mission: Ambassador (vacant); Special Charge d'Affaires Hugo LLORENS (since December 2016) Embassy: Bibi Mahru, Kabul Mailing Address: U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806 Telephone: [00 93] 0700 108 001 FAX: [00 93] 0700 108 564

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