Type Bicameral Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah Vice President of Afghanistan Sarwar Danish | President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani Vice President of Afghanistan Abdul Rashid Dostum | |
 | ||
Houses Wolesi Jirga & Meshrano Jirga | ||
The National Assembly (ملی شورا), also known as the Afghan Parliament, is Afghanistan's national legislature. It is a bicameral body, comprising two chambers:
Contents
- Duties of the National Assembly
- The Wolesi Jirga House of People
- The Meshrano Jirga House of Elders
- Construction of the New Assembly Building
- References
According to Chapter Five of the Constitution of Afghanistan, "the National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as the highest legislative organ is the manifestation of the will of its people and represents the whole nation. Every member of the National Assembly takes into judgment the general welfare and supreme interests of all people of Afghanistan at the time of casting their vote".
A new larger building for the Afghan National Assembly was built with Indian assistance. It was inaugurated in late 2015 by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. It is located across the now-ruined Darul Aman Palace.
"The National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as the highest legislative organ is the manifestation of the will of its people and represents the whole nation. Every member of the National Assembly takes into judgment the general welfare and supreme interests of all people of Afghanistan at the time of casting their vote." Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Article Eighty-One)
Duties of the National Assembly
Ratification, modification or abrogation of laws or legislative decrees; Approval of social, cultural, economic as well as technological development programs; Approval of the state budget as well as permission to obtain or grant loans; Creation, modification and or abrogation of administrative units; Ratification of international treaties and agreements, or abrogation of membership of Afghanistan in them; Other authorities enshrined in this Constitution.
The Wolesi Jirga (House of People)
The Wolesi Jirga has 250 seats with members directly elected by the people. Sixty-eight women were elected to the seats reserved under the Constitution, while 17 of them have been elected in their own rights. Each province was given proportionate representation in the Wolesi Jirga according to its population. Each member of the Wolesi Jirga will enjoy a five-year term.
An aspiring candidate for the Wolesi Jirga must fulfill the following criteria:
In addition, no candidate can have been charged with crimes against humanity.
The Meshrano Jirga (House of Elders)
The Meshrano Jirga consists of a mixture of appointed and elected members (total 102 members). Sixty-eight members were selected by 34 directly elected Provincial Councils, and 34 were appointed by the President. President Karzai’s appointments were vetted by an independent UN sponsored election board and included 17 women (50%), as required by the Constitution.
Each provincial council has elected one council member to serve in the Jirga (34 members), also each district council (34 members). Representatives of provincial councils will serve a term of four years, while representatives of district councils will serve a term of three years. Sebghatulla Mojadeddi was appointed President of Meshrano Jirga.
An aspiring candidate for the Meshrano Jirga must fulfill the following criteria:
In addition, no potential member of the Meshrano Jirga can have been charged with crimes against humanity.
Construction of the New Assembly Building
The foundation stone for the new Afghan Parliament was laid in August 2005 by the last king of Afghanistan, Zahir Shah, in the presence of Hamid Karzai and Manmohan Singh. India's Central Public Works Department (CPWD) was the consultant for the project and the contract was awarded to an Indian infrastructure company in 2008. The new Parliament building is corralled in an 84-acre plot on the outskirts of Kabul and fringes such historical landmarks as Amanullah Khan's Palace and the Queen's Palace. The construction work on the building was initially slated to be complete by 2012, in 36 months. The deadline, however, was pushed back due to challenging work conditions, shortage of skilled workforce and precarious security environment. More than 500 laborers had worked on the building, most of them Indian nationals. After completion, this is believed to be one of the best parliament building in the world. The main attraction of the building is a bronze dome of 32 meter diameter and 17.15 meter height is considered to be the largest dome in Asia. The big dome will cover the assembly hall and the small dome with be over the entrance lobby. In front of the building, there is a water body with nine cascading fountains. Inside the building, a 20-feet fountain, made of green marble imported from Indian city of Udaipur, has been installed.
On December 25, 2015, during a state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the new Parliament building was inaugurated along with President Ashraf Ghani. Ghani tweeted: "Pleased to welcome PM Modi to Kabul. Though, India & Afghanistan need no introduction, we are bound by a thousand ties... We have stood by each other in the best and worst of times."