Government of Afghanistan

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
  • د افغانستان اسلامي امارت (Pashto)
    Də Afġānistān Islāmī Imārat
  • امارت اسلامی افغانستان (Dari)
    Imārat-i Islāmī-yi Afghānistān
Theocratic emirate
Formation15 August 2021 (2021-08-15) (current form)
4 April 1996 (1996-04-04) (First Islamic Emirate)
19 August 1919 (1919-08-19) (independence)
Guiding document1998 dastur
CountryAfghanistan
Websitealemarahenglish.af
Leadership
Head of stateSupreme Leader
Deputy head of stateDeputy Leader
Meeting placeKandahar
Executive
Head of governmentPrime Minister
Main bodyCouncil of Ministers
Deputy head of governmentDeputy Prime Minister(s)
Appointed bySupreme Leader
HeadquartersArg, Kabul
DepartmentsMinistries
Judiciary
CourtSupreme Court
Chief JusticeChief Justice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
SeatSupreme Court Building, Kabul

The government of Afghanistan, officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and informally known as the Taliban government, is the central government of Afghanistan, a unitary state. Under the leadership of the Taliban, the government is a theocracy and an emirate with political power concentrated in the hands of a supreme leader and his clerical advisors, collectively referred to as the Leadership. The Leadership makes all major policy decisions behind closed doors, which are then implemented by the country's civil service and judiciary. As Afghanistan is an Islamic state, governance is based on Sharia law and Pashtunwali, which the Taliban enforces strictly through extensive social and cultural policies.

Over its history, Afghanistan has variously been governed as a monarchy, a republic, and a theocracy. The current theocratic government came to power in 2021 with the United States-led coalition's withdrawal after a twenty-year insurgency against the Western-backed Islamic Republic, after having itself been ousted in 2001.

The current government is internationally unrecognized and lacks a clear constitutional basis, though the Taliban announced plans in January 2022 to form a constitutional commission. Instead, the government applies an interpretation of Sharia law. There is no separation of powers, with total authority vested in the Leadership.[1][2] The government is criticized by international observers for totalitarianism,[3] systemic human rights violations, as well as for being unaccountable, opaque, and exclusive of women, religious and ethnic minorities, and those with dissenting views. Since coming to power, it has grappled with an economic crisis, international isolation, terrorism and rebellion, and a string of natural disasters.

  1. ^ "Taliban plans to form 'commission' in 2022 to draft new constitution". ANI News. Archived from the original on 2021-12-29. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  2. ^ "The Lawless Land: How Does the Taliban's Abolishing of Afghan Laws Affect Citizens' Security?". www.jurist.org. 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  3. ^ *Sakhi, Nilofar (December 2022). "The Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan and Security Paradox". Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs. 9 (3): 383–401. doi:10.1177/23477970221130882. S2CID 253945821. Afghanistan is now controlled by a militant group that operates out of a totalitarian ideology.