Prime Minister of Afghanistan
Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
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Government of Afghanistan | |
Type | Head of government |
Member of | Cabinet |
Reports to | Leadership |
Seat | Kabul |
Appointer | Supreme Leader |
Term length | At the pleasure of the supreme leader |
Constituting instrument | 1998 dastur |
Formation |
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First holder | Shir Ahmad |
Succession | No (Deputy Leader succeeds Supreme Leader) |
Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister |
Salary | ؋198,250 monthly[3] |
Website | Office of the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister |
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The prime minister of Afghanistan, officially the prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,[note 1] is the head of government of Afghanistan.[4]
The position was created in 1927 as an official appointed by the king of Afghanistan. The holder served mostly as an advisor, until the end of the Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1973. During the 1980s, the position was the head of government. The post was abolished after the US invasion that ousted the Taliban regime, after which a presidential form of government was established which lasted from 2004 to 2021. After the US withdrawal and the re-establishment of the Taliban rule, the post was revived.
The prime minister and government are subject to the instruction of the supreme leader.[5] On September 7, 2021 the Taliban officials who exercised de facto control of Afghanistan announced Islamic scholar Hasan Akhund as acting prime minister in a new interim government of the recently re-established Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[6]
History
[edit]Kingdom
[edit]The chairman of the Council of Ministers was not the prime minister, but the king. Only during his absence was the prime minister the acting chairman of the Council.
Until 1963, King Mohammad Zahir Shah appointed his relatives as prime ministers. The king also had the power to dismiss or transfer the prime minister. From 1963 onwards, this was changed, stating that the head of the Afghan government was the prime minister, and that the government consisted of its ministers. It was the first time that the king did not play an important role in the government, leaving it to an elected authority. However, it also stated that they cannot engage in any other profession during their tenure of office.
The 1964 Constitution also granted the prime minister the power to summon the Electoral College in case of the death of the king. The prime minister only answered to the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of the Parliament) about the General Policy of the government, and individually for their prescribed duties.[7]
Democratic Republic
[edit]In April 1978, Mohammad Daoud Khan was killed during a coup that started the Saur Revolution. The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) revived the office of prime minister that year, and it remained throughout the 1980s.
The president was in charge of the appointment of the prime minister, who in turn appointed the Council of Ministers. The Council's stated purpose was to formulate and implement domestic and foreign policies, to formulate economic development plans and state budgets, and to ensure public order.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the president was required to appoint the prime minister in order to form the government. The prime minister had the power to dissolve the government. Several Afghan presidents during the Democratic Republic era were also appointed as prime minister. With the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the prime minister was no longer in charge of the government. The general secretary of the PDPA or the director of the KHAD exercised greater power.
Also, the 1990 Constitution established that only Afghan-born citizens are eligible to hold the office, something that was not specified in the previous documents.
Islamic State
[edit]After the collapse of Mohammad Najibullah's government, a transitional state was created. Thus, the office of prime minister once again played an important role in the history of the nation.
There was constant friction between the president and the premier during this period. The state had collapsed and there was not an effective central government from 1992 until 1996. Thus, the position became de facto ceremonial, with little power in what was left of the government.
Islamic Emirate
[edit]The title was abolished when the Taliban forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan took over control in 1996. The deputy leader of the Taliban was often known as the prime minister throughout its rule. With the death of Mohammad Rabbani in 2001,[8] the Taliban decided not to revive the office.
Until September 1997, the government which the Taliban had ousted, which remained in rebellion until the end of the Taliban rule in 2001, had a prime minister in the government, but the position was abolished.
On September 7, 2021, the Taliban reinstated the position of prime minister.
List of prime ministers
[edit](Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Term of office | Political affiliation | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
Kingdom of Afghanistan (1926–1973) | |||||||
Shir Ahmad | ![]() |
c. 1885–? | 25 October 1927 | January 1929 | 1 year, 2 months | Independent | |
Prime Minister; Deposed. | |||||||
Shir Giyan | ![]() |
died 1929 | January 1929 | 1 November 1929 | 10 months | Independent | |
Prime Minister; Deposed. | |||||||
Mohammad Hashim Khan | ![]() |
1884–1953 | 1 November 1929 | 9 May 1946 | 16 years, 189 days | Independent | |
Prime Minister; Member of the Barakzai dynasty. | |||||||
Amanat Lewana | ![]() |
Unknown | c. 1944 | c. 1946 | c. 2 years | Unknown | |
Prime Minister under king Salemai; Eastern Province only during the 1944–47 tribal revolts. | |||||||
Shah Mahmud Khan | ![]() |
1890–1959 | 9 May 1946 | 7 September 1953[9] | 7 years, 121 days | Independent | |
Prime Minister; Member of the Barakzai dynasty. | |||||||
Mohammad Daoud Khan | ![]() |
1909–1978 | 7 September 1953 | 10 March 1963 | 9 years, 184 days | Independent | |
Prime Minister; Member of the Barakzai dynasty. | |||||||
Mohammad Yusuf | ![]() |
1917–1998 | 10 March 1963 | 2 November 1965 | 2 years, 237 days | Independent | |
Prime Minister. | |||||||
Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal | ![]() |
1919–1973 | 2 November 1965 | 11 October 1967 | 1 year, 343 days | Independent (until 1966) | |
Progressive Democratic Party | |||||||
Prime Minister. | |||||||
Abdullah Yaqta | ![]() |
1914–2003 | 11 October 1967 | 1 November 1967 | 21 days | Independent | |
Acting Prime Minister. | |||||||
Mohammad Nur Ahmad Etemadi | ![]() |
1921–1979 | 1 November 1967 | 9 June 1971 | 3 years, 220 days | Independent | |
Prime Minister. | |||||||
Abdul Zahir | ![]() |
1910–1982 | 9 June 1971 | 12 November 1972 | 1 year, 156 days | Independent | |
Prime Minister. | |||||||
Mohammad Musa Shafiq | ![]() |
1932–1979 | 12 November 1972 | 17 July 1973 | 247 days | Independent | |
Prime Minister; Deposed during the 1973 coup d'état.[10] | |||||||
Post abolished (17 July 1973 – 1 May 1978) | |||||||
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978–1992) | |||||||
Nur Muhammad Taraki | ![]() |
1917–1979 | 1 May 1978 | 27 March 1979 | 330 days | People's Democratic Party (Khalq faction) | |
Chairman of the Council of Ministers. | |||||||
Hafizullah Amin | ![]() |
1929–1979 | 27 March 1979 | 27 December 1979 | 275 days | People's Democratic Party (Khalq faction) | |
Chairman of the Council of Ministers; Assassinated by Soviet special forces during the Operation Storm-333.[11] | |||||||
Babrak Karmal | ![]() |
1929–1996 | 27 December 1979 | 11 June 1981 | 1 year, 166 days | People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction) | |
Chairman of the Council of Ministers. | |||||||
Sultan Ali Keshtmand | ![]() |
born 1935 | 11 June 1981 | 26 May 1988 | 6 years, 350 days | People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction) | |
Chairman of the Council of Ministers; First tenure. | |||||||
Mohammad Hasan Sharq | ![]() |
born 1925 | 26 May 1988 | 21 February 1989 | 271 days | Independent | |
Chairman of the Council of Ministers; Appointed as part of the National Reconciliation process. | |||||||
Sultan Ali Keshtmand | ![]() |
born 1935 | 21 February 1989 | 8 May 1990 | 1 year, 76 days | People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction) | |
Chairman of the Council of Ministers; Second tenure. | |||||||
Fazal Haq Khaliqyar | ![]() |
1934–2004 | 8 May 1990 | 15 April 1992 | 1 year, 343 days | People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction) (until June 1990) | |
Homeland Party | |||||||
Chairman of the Council of Ministers; Resigned. | |||||||
Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992–2002) | |||||||
Abdul Sabur Farid Kohistani | ![]() |
1952–2007 | 6 July 1992 | 15 August 1992 | 40 days | Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin | |
Prime Minister. | |||||||
Post vacant (15 August 1992 – 17 June 1993) | |||||||
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar | ![]() |
born 1947 | 17 June 1993 | 28 June 1994 | 1 year, 11 days | Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin | |
Prime Minister; First tenure. | |||||||
Arsala Rahmani Daulat | ![]() |
1937–2012 | 28 June 1994 | 1995 | ≈ 1 year | Ittehad-e Islami | |
Acting Prime Minister. | |||||||
Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai | ![]() |
1944–2021 | 1995 | 26 June 1996 | ≈ 1 year | Ittehad-e Islami | |
Acting Prime Minister. | |||||||
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar | ![]() |
born 1947 | 26 June 1996 | 11 August 1997 | 1 year, 46 days | Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin | |
Prime Minister; Second tenure; Fled Kabul following its fall to the Taliban on 27 September 1996;[12] Continued to serve as Prime Minister in areas controlled by the Northern Alliance during the 1996–2001 Civil War; Between 1996 and 2001, the Islamic State remained the internationally recognized government, despite only controlling about 10% of Afghan territory. | |||||||
Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai | ![]() |
1947–1997 | 11 August 1997 | 21 August 1997 | 10 days | Independent | |
Prime Minister; Served only in areas controlled by the Northern Alliance due to the 1996–2001 Civil War; Between 1996 and 2001, the Islamic State remained the internationally recognized government, despite only controlling about 10% of Afghan territory; Killed in an aircraft crash. | |||||||
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001) | |||||||
Mullah Mohammad Rabbani |
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1955–2001 | 27 September 1996 | 13 April 2001 | 4 years, 198 days | Taliban | |
Deputy Head of the Supreme Council; Prime Minister; Deputy leader of the Taliban; Died in office;[13] Between 1996 and 2001, the Islamic Emirate never attained widespread international recognition, despite controlling about 90% of Afghan territory. | |||||||
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir |
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born 1958 | 16 April 2001 | 13 November 2001 | 211 days | Taliban | |
Acting Deputy Head of the Supreme Council; Acting Prime Minister; Deposed during the fall of Kabul.[14] | |||||||
Post abolished (13 November 2001 – 7 September 2021) | |||||||
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021–present) | |||||||
Mullah Hasan Akhund |
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between 1945 and 1958[15] | 7 September 2021 | Incumbent | 2 years, 352 days | Taliban | |
Acting Prime Minister; The Islamic Emirate is currently not internationally recognized, despite controlling all Afghan territory.[16][17] Hasan Akhund spent 17 May to 17 July 2023 in Kandahar recovering from an illness, during which his deputy Abdul Kabir carried out the duties of the prime minister.[1][2] | |||||||
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir |
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born 1958 | 17 May 2023 | 17 July 2023 | 61 days | Taliban | |
Acting Prime Minister pro tempore while Hasan Akhund was recovering from an illness.[18][1][2] |
Timeline
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/3qrr5a4at2fdpozsev8bng243auq8rx.png)
Notes
[edit]See also
[edit]- Supreme Leader of Afghanistan
- President of Afghanistan
- List of heads of state of Afghanistan
- Chief Executive (Afghanistan)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mohammad Farshad Daryosh (17 May 2023). "Mawlawi Kabir Appointed Acting PM As Mullah Hassan Akhund is Ill: Mujahid". TOLOnews. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Adeeb, Fatema (9 September 2023). "Prime Minister's Absence From Meetings Raises Questions". TOLOnews. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ Hakimi, Amina (5 December 2021). "Senior Officials' Salaries Reduced: MoF". TOLOnews. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Kirby, Jen (13 September 2021). "What the Taliban's new government reveals about how they will rule". Vox. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ Dawi, Akmal (28 March 2023). "Unseen Taliban Leader Wields Godlike Powers in Afghanistan". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ "Taliban announce new government for Afghanistan". BBC News. 7 September 2021. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Richard S. Newell (1997). Peter R. Blood (ed.). Afghanistan: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. The Constitutional Period, 1964-73.
- ^ Dugger, Celia W. (20 April 2001). "Muhammad Rabbani, Advocate of Some Moderation in Taliban". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
- ^ "AFGHAN LEADER QUITS; Uncle of the King Resigns as Prime Minister". The New York Times. 8 September 1953. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ "Afghan King Overthrown; A Republic Is Proclaimed". The New York Times. 18 July 1973. Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "How Soviet troops stormed Kabul palace". BBC. 27 December 2009. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghan Fundamentalists Sweep Into Kabul". The New York Times. 27 September 1996. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ Celia W. Dugger (20 February 2001). "Muhammad Rabbani, Advocate Of Some Moderation in Taliban". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ David S. Rohde with Dexter Filkins (13 November 2001). "Taliban Troops Abandon Capital Without a Fight". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Security Council 1988 Committee Amends 105 Entries on Its Sanctions List | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ Trofimov, Yaroslav (13 September 2021). "As Taliban Seek International Acceptance, Countries Seek to Engage—but Stop Short of Recognition". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ Dawi, Akmal (20 December 2022). "Frustrated with the Taliban, US Officials Meet Anti-Taliban Figures". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
The NRF has executed hit-and-run attacks against the Taliban in some parts of Afghanistan but has not been able to hold territory.
- ^ "Afghan Taliban appoint Mawlawi Abdul Kabir as new premier". The Express Tribune. 17 May 2023. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
External links
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