Elections in Afghanistan

{{Main|Kingdom of Afghanistan}}

{{Main|1949 Afghan parliamentary election}}

In 1949, Afghan Prime Minister Shah Mahmud Khan allowed relatively free national assembly elections, and the resulting seventh Afghan Parliament (1949–1951), which has become known as the "Liberal Parliament", gave voice to criticism of the government and traditional institutions, allowed opposition political groups to come to life, and enacted some liberal reforms, including laws providing for a free press. This being the seventh parliament, six must have been elected from 1924 to around 1945.{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2003/02/6-130203.htm|title=RFE/RL Afghanistan Report|website=www.globalsecurity.org|access-date=26 June 2023}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LclscNCTz9oC&pg=PA62|title=The Far East and Australasia 2003|first=Europa|last=Publications|date=26 June 2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9781857431339 |access-date=26 June 2023|via=Google Books}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.gl.iit.edu/govdocs/afghanistan/KingMuhammadZahirShah.html |title=Afghanistan Country Study |access-date=2009-08-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915232317/http://www.gl.iit.edu/govdocs/afghanistan/KingMuhammadZahirShah.html |archive-date=2009-09-15 |url-status=dead }}

{{Main|1952 Afghan parliamentary election}}

The Afghan parliamentary election in 1952 was considered a step backward from the one in 1949. It occurred in the wake of a government crackdown in 1951.

In 1964, King Mohammed Zahir Shah ordered the convening of a Loya jirga - a national gathering that included the members of the National Assembly, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and both constitutional commissions - to draft and approve a new Afghan constitution. This was the first election where women participated, since women's suffrage was introduced in Afghanistan in 1964.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3_rDwAAQBAJ&q=Women%27s+suffrage+in+Afghanistan+1964&pg=PA77 |title=Women's Suffrage: The Complete Guide to the Nineteenth Amendment |publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781440871993|editor= Wayne, Tiffany K.|date=2020}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4HxqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR24 |title=Women and War in the 21st Century: A Country-by-Country Guide |author= Sankey, Margaret D. |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1440857669 |date=2018}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aPZ0DwAAQBAJ&q=Women%27s+suffrage+in+Afghanistan+1964&pg=PA187 |title=The Palgrave Handbook of Women's Political Rights |publisher=Springer |editor1-last=Franceschet |editor1-first=Susan |editor2-last=Krook |editor2-first=Mona Lena |isbn=978-1137590749 |date=2018}}

167 members of the assembly were elected by the provinces, and 34 members were appointed directly by the king. Although most of the 452 people (including six women) assembled were predominantly officials who could be expected to support the royal line, the Loya Jirga of September 1964 also included members elected from the entire nation. While the government did screen out many potential dissidents, "on the whole ... delegates to the Loya Jirgah appeared to represent the full range of social, political, and religious opinion."

Most observers described the 1965 election as remarkably fair despite difficulties such as widespread illiteracy, low voter turnout, lack of political parties, and attempts by some government officials to influence the results. The 216-member Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of parliament, included representation by anti-royalists, supporters of the king, Pashtun nationalists, both the left and right of the political spectrum, entrepreneurs and industrialists, political liberals, a small leftist group, as well as conservative Muslim leaders who still opposed secularization. This was Afghanistan's 12th parliament, so there must have been three more National Assembly elections in 1955–62.

{{Main|1969 Afghan parliamentary election}}

The 1969 parliamentary elections, with voter turnout not much higher than in 1965, produced a parliament that more or less reflected the distribution of power and population of rural Afghanistan - conservative landowners and businessmen predominated, and many more non-Pashtuns were elected than in the previous legislature. Most of the urban liberals and all female delegates lost their seats. Few leftists were in the new 13th parliament, although Babrak Karmal and Hafizullah Amin (a mathematics teacher educated in the United States) were elected from districts in and near the capital Kabul.

{{Main|Republic of Afghanistan (1973–1978)}}

{{Expand section|date=December 2009}}

{{Main|Democratic Republic of Afghanistan }}

In 1987, the Soviet-backed Afghan communist government introduced a law permitting the formation of other political parties, announced that it would be prepared to share power with representatives of opposition groups in the event of a coalition government, and issued a new constitution providing for a new bicameral National Assembly (Meli Shura), consisting of a Senate (Sena) and a House of Representatives (Wolesi Jirga), and a president to be indirectly elected to a 7-year term.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XLvU9lroRuUC&pg=PA400|title=The Europa World Year Book 2003|date=26 June 2003|publisher=Europa Publications|isbn=9781857432275 |via=Google Books}}

Local elections were held throughout the country in August 1987, with a considerable number of the elected representatives reported to be non-PDPA members. On 30 September, Mohammad Najibullah was unanimously elected as President of the Revolutionary Council. In November 1987, a Loya jirga unanimously elected Najibullah as President of the State.

{{Main|1988 Afghan parliamentary election}}

In April 1988, elections were held for both houses of the new National Assembly. The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) won 46 seats in the House of Representatives and controlled the government with support from the National Front, which won 45 seats, and from various newly recognized left-wing parties, which had won a total of 24 seats. Although the election was boycotted by the Mujahideen, the government left 50 of the 234 seats in the House of Representatives, as well as a small number of seats in the Senate, vacant in the hope that the guerrillas would end their armed struggle and participate in the government.{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/afghanistan/page7|title=History.com: Afghanistan|access-date=26 June 2023}}

Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops and the ouster of the communist government in April 1992, an indirect election for president took place in December 1992. An interim government, headed by a prime minister, was formed in June 1993.

Due to the largely illiterate nature of Afghan society, ballots during the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan-era displayed images of the candidates, each of whom was also represented by a symbol of their choosing.{{cite book|author-link=Steve Coll|last=Coll|first=Steve|title=Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan|publisher=Penguin Group|year=2019|isbn=9780143132509|pages=652–653}} Conservative Pashtun districts used a "proxy" system to register women voters, which was particularly susceptible to fraud.{{cite book|author-link=Steve Coll|last=Coll|first=Steve|title=Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan|publisher=Penguin Group|year=2019|isbn=9780143132509|page=381}}

{{Main|2004 Afghan presidential election}}

Under the 2001 Bonn Agreement, Afghanistan was scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2004 in order to replace the transitional government led by American-backed Hamid Karzai since his appointment in December 2001.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/06/world/a-nation-challenged-the-siege-new-leader-urges-foes-to-surrender.html|title=A NATION CHALLENGED: THE SIEGE; New Leader Urges Foes To Surrender|first=Norimitsu|last=Onishi|work=The New York Times |date=6 December 2001|access-date=26 June 2023|via=NYTimes.com}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/06/world/a-nation-challenged-man-in-the-news-clan-leader-turned-statesman-hamid-karzai.html|title=A NATION CHALLENGED: MAN IN THE NEWS; Clan Leader Turned Statesman: Hamid Karzai|first=Norimitsu|last=Onishi|work=The New York Times |date=6 December 2001|access-date=26 June 2023|via=NYTimes.com}} Presidential elections were held in 2004, but parliamentary elections were not held until mid-September 2005.[http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2005/sc8339.html March 2005 UN Security Council report on parliamentary elections delay] Hamid Karzai won the election with 55.4% of the votes and three times more votes than any other candidate.

{{Main|2005 Afghan parliamentary election}}

Afghanistan held parliamentary and provincial council elections on 18 September 2005. Final results were delayed by accusations of election fraud, and were finally announced on 12 November 2005.

Former warlords and their followers gained the majority of seats in both the lower house and the provincial council (which elects the members of the upper house). Women won 28% of the seats in the lower house, six more than the 25% guaranteed in the 2004 Constitution.

Turnout was estimated at 50%, substantially lower than at the presidential election in October 2004. This was blamed on the lack of identifiable party lists as a result of Afghanistan's new electoral law, which left voters in many cases unclear on who they were voting for.

{{Main|2009 Afghan presidential election}}

The Afghan presidential and provincial council elections held on 20 August 2009 were widely characterized as marred by lack of security, violence, extremely low voter turnout, and widespread ballot stuffing, intimidation, and other electoral fraud.{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i3xqZSi2U_mgENDm3TK0-yqI7I_g|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413122433/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i3xqZSi2U_mgENDm3TK0-yqI7I_g|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 April 2010|title=Afghan commission orders first ballots invalidated|access-date=26 June 2023}}{{Cite news

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/world/asia/13afghan.html|title=39 Afghans and 5 G.I.'s Are Killed in Attacks|first1=Richard A. Oppel|last1=Jr|first2=Sangar|last2=Rahimi|work=The New York Times |date=12 September 2009|access-date=26 June 2023|via=NYTimes.com}} Over 2,800 complaints were received by the Election Complaints Commission, with the largest proportion concerning irregularities at the poll, including ballot box stuffing and voter intimidation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/ariel_nasr/2892 |title=Afghanistan's Troubled Election |access-date=2009-09-12 |archive-date=2009-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915210756/http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/ariel_nasr/2892 |url-status=dead }}[https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/afghan-election-results-give-karzai-55-of-vote-1.837810 Afghan election results give Karzai 55% of vote] cbc.ca The New York Times wrote, "fraud was so pervasive that nearly a quarter of all votes were thrown out." According to an article by The Times, "some 1.26 million recorded votes were excluded from an election that cost the international community more than $300 million." and another estimate placed the cost at $500 million.[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6881718.ece Hamid Karzai faces another ballot after 1m votes ruled out ]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{Cite news

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/world/asia/21afghan.html|title=With New Afghan Vote, Path to Stability Is Unclear|first1=Sabrina|last1=Tavernise|first2=Mark|last2=Landler|first3=Helene|last3=Cooper|work=The New York Times |date=20 October 2009|access-date=26 June 2023|via=NYTimes.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/10/21/a_crash_course_in_democracy?page=full|title=Afghanistan's runoff election must be delayed|access-date=26 June 2023}}

Official election monitors and the UN placed voter turnout in the August 20 first round of the election at only around 30-33%.{{Cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-aihrc-unama-joint-monitoring-political-rights-presidential-and-1|title=Afghanistan: AIHRC-UNAMA Joint Monitoring of Political Rights, Presidential and Provincial Council Elections, Third Report, 1 Aug - 21 Oct 2009 - Afghanistan | ReliefWeb|date=21 October 2009|website=reliefweb.int|access-date=26 June 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6425178/Dr-Abdullah-makes-history-in-challenge-to-Afghanistans-president-Hamid-Karzai.html|title=Dr Abdullah 'makes history' in challenge to Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=24 October 2009 |access-date=26 June 2023}}

On October 20, 2009, under heavy U.S. and ally pressure, President Hamid Karzai announced his acquiescence to a run-off vote between himself and his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, to be held on 7 November.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6389109/Hamid-Karzai-agrees-to-run-off-amid-fears-of-more-violence-and-fraud.html|title=Hamid Karzai agrees to run-off amid fears of more violence and fraud|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=20 October 2009 |access-date=26 June 2023}}{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8317445.stm|title=Afghan elections - an uncertain future|date=20 October 2009|access-date=26 June 2023|via=news.bbc.co.uk}} Finally on 1 November, however, Abdullah announced that he would no longer be participating in the run-off because his demands for changes in the electoral commission had not been met, and a "transparent election is not possible." A day later, on 2 November 2009, officials of the very same election commission cancelled the run-off and declared Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan for another 5-year term.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/world/asia/03afghan.html|title=Obama Warns Karzai to Focus on Tackling Corruption|first1=Helene|last1=Cooper|first2=Jeff|last2=Zeleny|work=The New York Times |date=2 November 2009|access-date=26 June 2023|via=NYTimes.com}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fg-obama-karzai3-2009nov03,0,963693.story|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105050208/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fg-obama-karzai3-2009nov03%2C0%2C963693.story|url-status=dead|title=Obama calls Afghan election 'messy' but upholds its final outcome|website=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=5 November 2009}} According to The New York Times, the Afghan election commission and Karzai had been under intense pressure from the United States and its allies to cancel the run-off. Abdullah said the appointment had "no legal basis" and Afghans deserved a better government.{{Cite web|url=https://bloomberg.com/politics|title=Bloomberg Politics - Bloomberg|date=25 June 2023|website=Bloomberg.com|access-date=26 June 2023}}

{{main|2010 Afghan parliamentary election}}

The next parliamentary elections were held on 18 September 2010. In July 2010, Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan and head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), described these as the "mother of all issues" elections. "They will not be Swiss elections, they are going to be Afghan elections," he said, suggesting the event might not fit the Western definition of democracy. More than 2,600 candidates, including more than 400 women, are running for office.{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/1/the-uns-top-official-in-afghanistan-says-the-talib/|title=U.N. official: Taliban knows they can't win war|website=The Washington Times|access-date=26 June 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/08/13/Pentagon-expects-tough-Afghan-fight/72931281722391/|title=Pentagon expects tough Afghan fight - UPI.com|website=UPI|access-date=26 June 2023}}

During the run-up to the elections in September 2010, the Taliban intimidated villagers in certain areas from voting. People in the villages would not vote because the Taliban left night letters warning they will cut off the finger of anyone if they find it marked with the indelible ink used to prevent multiple voting.[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-16/taliban-plans-attacks-to-disrupt-afghan-vote-intended-to-promote-stability.html Taliban Plans Attacks to Disrupt Afghan Vote Intended to Promote Stability] Bloomberg September 16, 2010

In late November 2010, Afghanistan's election commission disqualified 21 candidates from the 18 September parliamentary elections for alleged fraudulent activities, a spokesman said. 19 of the candidates were winning or leading their races, according to partial election results, while two others had failed to win seats.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/21/afghanistan.elections/|title=21 candidates disqualified from Afghan elections|newspaper=CNN|last=Mati|first=Matiullah|date=2010-11-21|access-date=2010-11-21}}

{{Main|2014 Afghan presidential election}}

A presidential election was held in Afghanistan on 5 April 2014. Incumbent president Hamid Karzai was not eligible to run due to term limits.{{cite news |last=Gentile |first=Carmen |date=October 31, 2012 |title=Afghans will hold presidential election in spring |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/10/31/afghanistan-presidential-election/1671597/}} An initial field of 27 candidates was whittled down to 8 with front runners Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani. Fraud allegations tainting the final result resulted in a recount of votes at 1,900 of the 23,000 polling stations.{{cite news |title=Afghan election result delayed after fraud allegations |publisher=Afghanistan Sun |url=http://www.afghanistansun.com/index.php/sid/223470679/scat/6e1d5c8e1f98f17c/ht/Afghan-election-result-delayed-after-fraud-allegations |access-date=3 July 2014}} Ghani was eventually declared the winner in September 2014.

{{Main|2018 Afghan parliamentary election}}

Parliamentary elections were held on 20 October 2018 to elect members of the House of the People.{{cite web|url=https://www.tolonews.com/index.php/elections-2018/round-%C2%A0saturday%E2%80%99s-parliamentary-elections|title=A Round Up Of Saturday's Parliamentary Elections – TOLOnews|access-date=21 October 2018}}{{cite news| title=Violence, Confusion Surround Afghan Parliamentary Elections | website=US News & World Report | date=20 October 2018 | url=http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-10-19/voting-begins-in-afghan-parliamentary-polls-despite-threats | access-date=26 June 2023}} They had originally been scheduled for 15 October 2016,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/19/world/asia/afghan-panel-sets-election-date-drawing-government-criticism.html|title=Afghan Panel Sets Election Date, Drawing Government Criticism|website=The New York Times|date=18 January 2016 |last1=Mashal |first1=Mujib }} but were initially postponed to 7 July 2018,{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghanistan-sets-july-2018-parliamentary-elections-48206951|title=International News: Latest Headlines, Video and Photographs from Around the World – People, Places, Crisis, Conflict, Culture, Change, Analysis and Trends|website=ABC News|access-date=2017-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706121923/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghanistan-sets-july-2018-parliamentary-elections-48206951|archive-date=2017-07-06|url-status=dead}} and then again to 20 October.{{cite web|url=https://www.albawaba.com/news/afghanistan-sets-date-parliamentary-and-district-elections-after-3-year-security-delay-1110782|title=Afghanistan Sets Date for Parliamentary and District Elections After 3-Year Security Delay|date=1 April 2018}} Much of the prelude to the elections focused on the debate over reforming the country's electoral laws.{{cite web|url=https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/electoral-reform-or-rather-who-will-control-afghanistans-next-election/|title=Electoral Reform, or rather: Who will control Afghanistan's next election?Afghanistan Analysts Network – Afghanistan Analysts Network|website=www.afghanistan-analysts.org|date=17 February 2015 }} The new Parliament was later inaugurated on 26 April 2019.{{Cite web |url=http://prod.tolonews.com/afghanistan/ghani-inaugurates-parliament |title=Ghani Inaugurates Afghanistan's Parliament | TOLOnews |access-date=2019-07-28 |archive-date=2019-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426103706/http://prod.tolonews.com/afghanistan/ghani-inaugurates-parliament |url-status=dead }}

{{Main|2019 Afghan presidential election}}

• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/afghanistan/ Adam Carr's Election Archive]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100719223757/http://www.ecc.org.af/en/ Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC)]

{{Afghan elections}}

{{Asia topic|Elections in}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elections In Afghanistan}}