The Government of Afghanistan

Afghanistan - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Afghanistan, it was the name "Afghan" originally referred to the Pashtun people (today it is understood to include all the country's ethnic groups), while the suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country"; so Afghanistan literally means the "Land of the Afghans". The Government system in this country is the theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 34 provinces (welayat, singular - welayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul

National symbols

Lion; national colors: red, green, black.

The flag

The National flag of Afghanistan has three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other 2 bands; the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the mosque are Eastern Arabic numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan; black signifies the past, red is for the blood shed for independence, and green can represent either hope for the future, agricultural prosperity, or Islam.

note 1: the United States has not recognized the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan and, accordingly, continues to display the flag of Afghanistan as set forth in the country's constitution of 2004

note 2: Afghanistan had more changes to its national flag in the 20th century - 19 by one count - than any other country; the colors black, red, and green appeared on most of them

The National Anthem

Title	"Milli Surood" (National Anthem)
Lyric/music	Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA

note: adopted 2006

More about the government of Afghanistan

Constitution
Date of Independence	19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
National holiday	previous: Independence Day, 19 August (1919); under the Taliban Government, 15 August (2022) is declared a national holiday, marking the anniversary of the victory of the Afghan jihad
Legal system	the Taliban is implementing its own interpretation of Islamic law, which is partially based on the Hanifi school of Islamic jurisprudence and have enforced strict punishments; before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had a mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law (2021)
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; formerly accepted ICCt jurisdiction
History	Several previous; latest ratified in 2004, but not currently enforced by the Taliban
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must have been born in - and continuously lived in - Afghanistan
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	5 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada (since 15 August 2021)
Head of government	overall Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada is the [so-called] Amir-ul Momineen of the Taliban and is seen by them as a head of government
Cabinet	the Taliban have announced a “cabinet” for the “caretaker government,” including the “acting prime minister,” “acting deputy prime ministers,” and “ministers” who claim to represent 26 ministries
Elections/appointments	the 2004 Afghan constitution directed that the president should be elected by majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 September 2019, and the Taliban have given no indication that they intend to reinstate elections or any other mechanism of democratic governance
Legislative branch
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	The Taliban are purported to have appointed clerics, including a "Chief Justice", to Afghanistan's Supreme Court
Subordinate courts	Provincial courts, religious courts, and specialty courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US
Embassy	The United States does not maintain a presence in Afghanistan and its diplomatic mission to Afghanistan has relocated to Doha, Qatar
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	2 (both cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Minaret of Jam; Buddhas of Bamyan