President of Afghanistan

President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
د افغانستان د اسلامي جمهوریت جمهور رئیس
رئيس جمهور جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ; د افغانستان د اسلامي جمهوریت جمهور رئیس ; رئيس جمهور جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان
	National emblem of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
	Presidential Standard
Status	Office abolished
Residence	The Arg, Kabul, Afghanistan (former)
Term length	5 years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Mohammed Daoud Khan (Republic) ; Hamid Karzai (Islamic Republic)
Formation	17 July 1973 (Republic) ; 7 December 2004 (Islamic Republic)
Final holder	Ashraf Ghani
Abolished	15 August 2021 (Fall of Kabul); 6 September 2021 (official)
Deputy	Vice President of Afghanistan
Salary	960,000 AFN per month
Website	president.gov.af/en

The President of Afghanistan was the head of state of Afghanistan. Afghanistan has only been a republic between 1973 and 1992 and from 2001 onwards. Before 1973, it was a monarchy that was governed by a variety of kings, emirs or shahs. There was a civil war from 1992 to 2001.

After the 2021 Taliban offensive and the near seizure of the capital, incumbent President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan to Tajikistan on 15 August 2021.^[2]^[3] After Ghani fled the country, the Taliban occupied the Presidential Palace. The office was abolished on 6th September 2021.

Powers

The constitution of Afghanistan gave the president wide powers over military and legislative affairs. There was a weak national parliament.

List

Name		Portrait	Lifespan	Term of office			Political party
Name		Portrait	Lifespan	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party
Republic of Afghanistan (1973–1978)
	Mohammed Daoud Khan		1909–1978	17 July 1973	28 April 1978	4 years, 285 days	Independent (until 1976)
				17 July 1973	28 April 1978	4 years, 285 days	National Revolutionary Party
				President; Member of the Barakzai dynasty (first cousin of Mohammed Zahir Shah); Assassinated with most of his family during the Saur Revolution.^[4] Shortly afterwards, the new military leaders announced that Khan was killed for refusing to surrender.^[5]
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978–1992)
	Colonel Abdul Qadir		1944–2014	28 April 1978	30 April 1978	2 days	People's Democratic Party (Khalq faction)
	Colonel Abdul Qadir		1944–2014	Chairman of the Presidium of the Military Revolutionary Council
	Nur Muhammad Taraki		1917–1979	30 April 1978	14 September 1979	1 year, 137 days	People's Democratic Party (Khalq faction)
	Nur Muhammad Taraki		1917–1979	Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Assassinated by orders of Hafizullah Amin
	Hafizullah Amin		1929–1979	14 September 1979	27 December 1979	104 days	People's Democratic Party (Khalq faction)
	Hafizullah Amin		1929–1979	Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Assassinated by Soviet special forces during the Operation Storm-333^[6]
	Babrak Karmal		1929–1996	27 December 1979	24 November 1986	6 years, 332 days	People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction)
	Babrak Karmal		1929–1996	Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Dismissed
	Haji Mohammad Chamkani		1947–2012	24 November 1986	30 September 1987	310 days	Independent
	Haji Mohammad Chamkani		1947–2012	Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Appointed as part of the National Reconciliation process
	Mohammad Najibullah		1947–1996	30 September 1987	16 April 1992	4 years, 199 days	People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction) (until 1990)
				30 September 1987	16 April 1992	4 years, 199 days	Homeland Party
				President (Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council until 30 November 1987); Resigned
	Abdul Rahim Hatif		1926–2013	16 April 1992	28 April 1992	12 days	Homeland Party
	Abdul Rahim Hatif		1926–2013	Acting President; Deposed
Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992–2002)
	Sibghatullah Mojaddedi		1926–2019	28 April 1992	28 June 1992	61 days	National Liberation Front of Afghanistan
	Sibghatullah Mojaddedi		1926–2019	Acting President; Resigned
	Burhanuddin Rabbani		1940–2011	28 June 1992	22 December 2001	9 years, 167 days	Jamiat-e Islami
	Burhanuddin Rabbani		1940–2011	President; Between 1996 and 2001, the Islamic State remained the internationally recognized government, despite only controlling about 10% of Afghan territory
	Hamid Karzai		born 1957	22 December 2001	13 July 2002	203 days	Independent
	Hamid Karzai		born 1957	Acting President
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)
	Mullah Mohammed Omar		1960–2013	27 September 1996	13 November 2001	5 years, 47 days	Taliban
	Mullah Mohammed Omar		1960–2013	Emir and Commander of the Faithful; The Islamic Emirate never attained widespread international recognition, despite controlling about 90% of Afghan territory; Deposed
Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (2002–2004)
	Hamid Karzai		born 1957	13 July 2002	7 December 2004	2 years, 147 days	Independent
	Hamid Karzai		born 1957	Transitional President; Appointed at the 2002 loya jirga
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021)
	Hamid Karzai		born 1957	7 December 2004	29 September 2014	9 years, 296 days	Independent
	Hamid Karzai		born 1957	President; First democratically elected head of state; Elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2009
	Ashraf Ghani		born 1949	29 September 2014	15 August 2021	6 years, 320 days	Independent
	Ashraf Ghani		born 1949	President; First peaceful transition of power; Elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2019; He escaped from Afghanistan, during the Fall of Kabul^[7]
	Amrullah Saleh		born 1972	17 August 2021	6 September 2021	20 days	Independent
	Amrullah Saleh		born 1972	First Vice President; Claimed the position of caretaker president based on Article 67 of the 2004 Constitution^[8]
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021–present)
	Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada		born 1961	15 August 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 223 days	Taliban
	Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada		born 1961	Emir and Commander of the Faithful; The Islamic Emirate is currently not internationally recognized, despite controlling majority of Afghan territory

References

↑ "Afghanistan's lower house approves President Karzai's salary and expenses amount". Wadsam. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
↑ Mishal Husain, Paul Adams, Malik Mudassir, Ben Wright, Jon Sopel (15 August 2021). Taliban seize power in Afghanistan as President flees country (Television production). London: BBC News. Retrieved 15 August 2021 – via YouTube.
↑ "President Ashraf Ghani leaves Afghanistan: Live". Al Jazeera. August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
↑ "There was, therefore, little to hinder the assault mounted by the rebel 4th Armored Brigade, led by Major Mohammad Aslam Watanjar, who had also been prominent in Daoud's own coup five years before. Watanjar first secured the airport, where the other coup leader, Colonel Abdul Qadir, left by helicopter for the Bagram air base. There he took charge and organized air strikes on the presidential palace, where Daoud and the presidential guard were conducting a desperate defense. Fighting continued the whole day and into the night, when the defenders were finally overwhelmed. Daoud and almost all of his family members, including women and children, died in the fighting. Altogether there were possibly as many as two thousand fatalities, both military and civilian." p. 88 of Ewans, Martin (2002) Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics HarperCollins, New York, Page 88 ISBN 0-06-050507-9
↑ "1978: Afghan coup rebels claim victory". April 29, 1978 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
↑ "How Soviet troops stormed Kabul palace". BBC. 27 December 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/16/world/asia/afghanistan-president-ashraf-ghani.html. Retrieved 31 August 2021
↑ Landay, Jonathan; Macfie, Nick; Boyle, John (17 August 2021). "Afghan vice president says he is "caretaker" president". Reuters. Retrieved 17 August 2021.