Democracy in Afghanistan

Democracy in Afghanistan has been severely limited and characterized by short, unstable historical periods since the formation of the contemporary state of Afghanistan in the 20th century. Following the rise of power of Ghazi Amanullah Khan in 1919, the first elements of a democratic government in the country began to emerge, with the formation of a constitution and increased civil liberties. Amanullah's political reforms resulted in his overthrow and for much of the rest of the 20th century, until 1964, there was limited democratization in the country. With the establishment of a bicameral national legislature in 1964 by King Zahir Shah, political parties began to form; however, none of these reforms were lasting after Zahir Shah's removal from power in 1973 and the formation of an autocratic Afghanistan republic.

The country experienced increasingly severe democratic backsliding from 1973 onwards, eventually falling under the undemocratic, religiously conservative Taliban rule in 1996. Democracy was reintroduced following the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, where an Islamic Republic with a president and relatively liberal constitution was reinstated.