Progress and Pitfalls of “Peace-Building”

in Afghanistan continues....

The president will have the authority to appoint one-third of the Meshrano

Jirga; half of those appointees must be women, meaning that at least one￾sixth of the upper house will be women. Other major issues of contention at

the Constitutional Loya Jirga included the role of Islam in Afghanistan and

the representation of Afghanistan’s multiple ethno-religious groups.



Article II states that “the religion of the state of the Islamic Republic of

Afghanistan is the sacred religion of Islam,” but that “followers of other

religions are free to exercise their faiths and perform their religious rites within the limits of the provisions of law.”

The great struggle between

conservative clerics and more moderate elements within Afghan society

will not be settled in this Constitution but in its subsequent interpretations. Pushto and Dari were made official languages, but six other languages were also designated as official languages in areas where a

majority of the population speaks them.

Again, how well this accomodation will work in practice is yet to be determined. On balance, Afghanistan has passed a constitution that could, if implemented and enforced, provide the foundation for a stable, democratic government.

Elections and Democracy



Any international peace-building presupposes that the state-building

efforts will be based on democratic principles of nation-wide elections resulting in the appointment of the head of the state and other representatives. Afghanistan’s constitution provides a symbolic basis for national reconciliation and a model for a democratic centralized state.

Present-day Afghanistan has a strong centralized Presidential system

which has the authority to appoint governors, cabinet and ministers and

military commanders. The President is elected through direct balloting

for a term of 5 years and is both the head and chief of the state and can be

elected for two terms.

To be continued....