Afghanistan
About parliament
Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.
Parliament name
Jirga (National Assembly)
Chamber name
Wolesi Jirga (House of the People)
Structure & Status of parliament
This field is to indicate lower/upper in the back end.
Lower chamber
Parliamentary term (years)
5
IPU membership
Affiliation periods
from 1990 to 1992
from 2007
IPU Geopolitical Group/s
IPU Geopolitical Groups: African Group, Arab Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Eurasia Group, Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), Twelve Plus Group.
Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker
The post of Speaker is currently vacant
Yes
Secretary General
The post of Secretary General is currently vacant
Yes
Members
Statutory number of members
Statutory number of members, as defined in the constitution or other fundamental law.
Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected
Compare data of this field.
Directly elected members
Directly elected by citizens.
250
Note on the statutory number of members
Directly elected members includes:
- 68 seats are reserved for women, comprising at least 2 women for each of the 34 provinces of the country;
- 10 seats are reserved for Kuchi Nomads;
- 1 seat is reserved for a representative of both the Hindu and Sikh communities.
See historical data for this field.
- 68 seats are reserved for women, comprising at least 2 women for each of the 34 provinces of the country;
- 10 seats are reserved for Kuchi Nomads;
- 1 seat is reserved for a representative of both the Hindu and Sikh communities.
Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
Men
Click for historical data
See historical data for this field.
Women
Click for historical data
See historical data for this field.
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
Statutory number of members per country
As defined in the constitution or other fundamental laws. Combines the number of parliamentarians in both chambers in bicameral parliaments.
Population (in thousands)
Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects.
Inhabitants per parliamentarian
Calculated by dividing the population by the statutory number of parliamentarians.
Age
Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature.
Youngest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Youngest member
Suraya Akbari (Female)
Number of members, by age
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 14 | 78 | 34 | 39 | 62 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total <= 45: 126 | Total >= 46: 122 | ||||||||||
| Male | 0 | 7 | 59 | 21 | 27 | 46 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 180 |
| Female | 0 | 7 | 19 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 |
Members for whom data is available
Reserved seats and quotas
There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
Number of reserved seats, by group
Women
68
Indigenous peoples
11
Notes
68 seats are reserved for women: 2 women for each of the 34 provinces of the country, as well as 10 seats for Kuchi Nomads and 1 seat for a representative of both the Hindu and Sikh communities.
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Notes
If there are not enough female candidates on the list to occupy the allocated seats, the Election Commission will adopt measures to make sure the seats do not remain vacant.
Legal source
Legal text that stipulates the quota, such as the Constitution or electoral law.
2016 Electoral Law, Art. 48 & 2004 Constitution, Art. 83
Electoral quota for youth
Quotas to promote the representation of youth in parliament.
Links to additional information
Parliamentary website
Link(s) to parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local languages.
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders
Link(s) to Rules of procedure on the parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local language.
List of members
Link(s) to list of members on the parliamentary web site.
Constitution
Official links to the Constitution in English, French and/or original language is provided. Links to unofficial translations where no other source is available.