President of Afghanistan

The President of Afghanistan was constitutionally the head of state and head of government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces.

Eligibility and selection process

Article 62 of the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan stated that a candidate for the office of President had to:

be a citizen of Afghanistan, Muslim, born of Afghan parents;
not be a citizen of another country;
be at least forty years old when declaring candidacy;
not have been convicted of crimes against humanity, a criminal act or deprived of civil rights by a court;
not have previously served more than two terms as president.

Powers

The 2004 Constitution granted the president wide powers over military and legislative affairs, with a relatively weak national bicameral National Assembly, the House of the People (Wolesi Jirga) and the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga). A president could only serve up to two five-year terms.

Hamid Karzai began his first five-year term in 2004. After his second term ended in 2014, Ashraf Ghani was elected as the next Afghan president.

Last election

List of presidents

Notes

References