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The article reports on the economic, social and political developments in Afghanistan as of November 2013. It explores the uncertainty created by impending departure of international military forces, end of the term of President Hamid Karzai and the scheduled elections in April 2014. It offers information on population size, number of towns and number of languages. It discuses the political structure, economic indicators and outlook for the future.

The article looks at the political situation in Afghanistan as of April 2011. An inauguration of the new parliament was made on January 26, 2011, which is nearly four and a half months after a disputed parliamentary election was held in September 2010. Details of the controversy about the results of the disputed general election in the country that involved President Hamid Karzai, the electoral commissions and the candidates are provided. Also reported is the continued reintegration of mid-level Taliban commanders and combatants across Afghanistan.

The article presents a political outlook for Afghanistan for 2010-2011. The conduct of the August 2009 election reportedly exacerbated doubts about the commitment of the government to responsible governance. It notes that the volatility of the relations of the government of President Hamid Karzai with its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supporters will continue for the said period.

The article offers a look at the political condition of Afghanistan as of April 2010. The tension between the parliament and President Hamid Karzai concerning the issue of nominations to the cabinet and his suspected fraud with the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), the body which highlighted the alleged electoral scam in the poll. Meanwhile, there are growing rumors about the talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban insurgents. Also reported was the international conference on Afghanistan held in London, England on January 28.

Focuses on the political condition of Afghanistan as of May 2004. Postponement of the June 2004 elections by President Hamid Karzai; Need to prioritize the disarmament of fighters; Registration of new political parties; Overview of the political developments.

The article offers election news briefs. Presidential election took place in Afghanistan to choose successor to outgoing president Hamid Karzai, who has served as the Afghan head of state since 2002. Parliamentary elections were set to be held in Sweden on September 14, 2014. Presidential election took place in Vanuatu on September 2014 as the term of incumbent president Iolu Johnson Abbil came to a close.

This section offers news briefs on elections in various countries in 2014. Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani are contesting the results of the May 2014 Afghan presidential elections to replace incumbent Hamid Karzai. Joko "Jokowi" Widodo won the presidential elections of Indonesia with over 53 percent of the vote over rival Prabowo Subianto. The first round of the Lebanese presidential election was held on April 23, 2014 to replace outgoing President Michel Suleiman.

The article offers information related to election in the world as of July 18, 2014. Topics discussed include the issue on who will succeed Afghan outgoing President Hamid Karzai along with move candidates on contesting the results of the election held on April 5, 2014, the parliamentary elections in Indonesia on April 9, and the presidential election in Mauritania were the first round will be on June 21 and the second round is scheduled in July 5.

The article offers world election news briefs as of May 2014. Presidential elections being held in Afghanistan on April 5, 2014 with the issue regarding who would be the successor to outgoing Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. Presidential election being held in Hungary on April 6, 2014. Presidential election being held in India from from April 7, 2014 to May 12, 2014.

The article provides a political outlook for Afghanistan for 2011-2012. It is said that the controversy surrounding the 2009 presidential election has weakened the position of President Hamid Karzai despite his numerous moves to strengthen his political authority. It is expected that ethnic tensions in the country will continue to simmer, and the security situation will remain volatile. A continued assassinations and attempted murders of political leaders by the Taliban and other groups is also predicted.

The article presents the political outlook for Afghanistan for the 2011-2012 period. It notes on the weak political position of President Hamid Karzai due to the controversy surrounding the 2009 presidential elections. Assassinations and attempted murders of political leaders by the Taliban and other extremist groups will reportedly continue. It is also forecasted that the relationship of Afghanistan with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries will continue to be volatile.

The article presents Afghanistan's political outlook for 2009-10. The administration of President Hamid Karzai is expected to remain the dominant political force in 2009. The 2009 presidential election is unlikely to be substantially delayed by security concerns. However, concern regarding the influence of conservative Islamic groups, notably regarding their treatment of women, is likely to grow.

The article discusses the Elections, Politics and Government Performance in Afghanistan as of November 2011. Topics discussed include effectiveness of the U.S. policy in Afghanistan for implementing transition to the Afghan security leadership, increase in the capacity of Afghan governing structure since the Taliban regime fell in late 2001, and the U.S. help accepted by the Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, for building anti-corruption institutions.

The article discusses the government transition and political landscape in Afghanistan following the overthrow of the Taliban government in 2001. The establishment of Afghan government structure started with the Bonn Agreement signed by major Afghan factions on December 5, 2001 which required the drafting of a permanent constitution and an election system. Other topics include the leadership style of President Hamid Karzai, ethnic and political rivalries and elections disputes in the country.

The article discusses the politics, elections and functioning of government in Afghanistan, as of December 2010. Topics discussed include effectiveness of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, strategy of current President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai to reduce corruption, and concerns over Afghan democracy and political transparency.

In the context of a review of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan during September-November 2009, the performance and legitimacy of the Afghan government has figured prominently, by all accounts. An assessment of the security situation furnished by the top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, warned of potential mission failure unless a fully resourced classic counterinsurgency strategy is employed, and U.S. officials are concerned that any U.S. strategy requires a legitimate Afghan partner for implementation. The Afghan government’s limited writ and widespread official corruption are believed by U.S. officials to be helping sustain a Taliban insurgency and complicating international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. At the same time, the re-elected President Hamid Karzai has, through compromise with faction leaders, been able to confine ethnic disputes to political competition, enabling his government to focus on trying to win over those members of the ethnic Pashtun community that support Taliban and other insurgents. Despite the measurable loss of confidence in Karzai, he still went into the August 20, 2009, presidential election as the favorite. Turnout was lower than expected, and final but uncertified results, released September 16, 2009, showed him at 54.6%. Amid widespread charges of fraud, many substantiated by a U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission, which investigated the charges, nearly one-third of Karzai’s votes were invalidated and the certified result, released October 21, 2009, placed Karzai just short of the 50%+ total needed to avoid a second-round runoff. The runoff was scheduled for November 7, 2009, but, asserting that fraud was likely in the runoff, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai’s main challenger, dropped out of the race on November 1, 2009, and Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission declared Karzai the winner on November 2. Appearing to welcome a resolution of the issue, the United States congratulated Karzai and praised Abdullah for diplomatic restraint. Karzai was inaugurated on November 19, with Secretary of State Clinton in attendance. Because most insurgents are, like Karzai, ethnic Pashtuns, stabilizing Afghanistan requires winning Pashtun political support for the Afghan government. This support could be predicated, at least in part, on the success of efforts to build effective local governing structures. New provincial councils in each of the 34 provinces were elected on August 20 as well, although their roles in local governance and their relationships to appointed governors remain unclear and inconsistent across Afghanistan. The trend toward promoting local governing bodies has been accelerated by the Obama Administration strategy announced on March 27, 2009, and is likely to receive continued U.S. and partner focus. The core of the strategy announced in March 2009— and which is likely to continue—is a so-called “civilian uplift” that is in the process of doubling, to about 1,000 by the end of 2009, the number of U.S. civilian personnel helping build Afghan governing and security institutions and the economy. Under an FY2009 supplemental appropriation (P.L. 111-32), the Administration developed, by September 23, 2009, “metrics” by which to judge progress in Afghanistan, including the performance and legitimacy of the Afghan government and its efforts to curb official corruption. Small amounts of U.S. funds are tied to Afghanistan’s performance on such metrics. For further information, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the political developments and national security in Afghanistan following Islamic fundamentalist group Taliban's regime, as of March 2009. The topics discussed include U.S. official's relations with Afghan president Afghan President Hamid Karzai, presidential and provincial elections in Afghanistan planned for August 20, 2009, and the deployment of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Assessments of the U.S. effort to stabilize Afghanistan are mixed and subject to debate. The political transition was completed with the convening of a parliament in December 2005; a new constitution was adopted in January 2004, successful presidential elections were held on October 9, 2004, and parliamentary elections took place on September 18, 2005. The parliament has become an arena for factions that have fought each other for nearly three decades to debate and peacefully resolve differences. Afghan citizens are enjoying personal freedoms forbidden by the Taliban. Women are participating in economic and political life, including as ministers, provincial governors, and parliament leaders. However, the insurgency led by supporters of the Taliban movement and Al Qaeda continues to challenge U.S. and other NATO forces, particularly in the south. Contributing to the violence is popular frustration with lack of economic development, official corruption, and the failure to extend Afghan government authority into rural areas. Narcotics trafficking is resisting counter-measures and funding insurgent activity. The Afghan government and some U.S. officials blame Pakistan for failing to prevent Taliban commanders from operating from Pakistan, largely beyond the reach of U.S./NATO-led forces in Afghanistan. Yet, U.S. and NATO commanders pre-empted an anticipated 2007 "spring offensive" by the Taliban with an increase in force levels, accelerated reconstruction efforts, and combat operations. The Taliban has responded by shifting toward the use of suicide bombings, kidnappings, and other tactics used by insurgents in Iraq. U.S. and NATO forces have also killed a few key Taliban battlefield leaders in 2007, and pro- Taliban insurgent leader Gulbuddin Hikmatyar declared in July 2007 that he is considering a cease-fire with the government. Taliban leaders have rejected, thus far, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's September 2007 offer of talks. To help stabilize Afghanistan, the United States and partner countries are deploying a 41,000 troop NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that now commands peacekeeping throughout Afghanistan, and running regional enclaves to secure reconstruction (Provincial Reconstruction Teams, PRTs), as well as building an Afghan National Army. Approximately 27,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, of which all but about 12,000 are under NATO/ISAF command. To build security institutions and assist reconstruction, the United States has given Afghanistan over $21 billion since the fall of the Taliban, including funds to equip and train Afghan security forces. Breakdowns are shown in the several tables at the end of this paper. Pending legislation, H.R. 2446, would reauthorize the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Presidential elections held in Afghanistan on April 5, 2014. Topics discussed include outgoing Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, controversies during elections and candidates of the election such as Qayum Karzai, Zamay Rassoul and Asraf Ghani Ahmadzai. Islamic fundamentalist organization Taliban's attack on the Independent Election Commission and United Nations staffers who were in Afghanistan to monitor the elections are also discussed.