Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a country in Asia. Afghanistan is an Islamic country. An estimated 80% of the population is Sunni, following the Hanafi school of jurisprudence; the remainder of the population--and primarily the Hazara ethnic group-- predominantly Shi'a. Despite attempts during the years of Marxist rule to secularize Afghan society, Islamic practices intervene into all aspects of life.

On October 9, 2004, Afghanistan held its first national democratic presidential election. More than 8 million Afghans voted, 41% of whom were women. Hamid Karzai was announced as the official winner on November 3 and inaugurated on December 7 for a five-year term as Afghanistan's first democratically elected president. On December 23, 2004, President Karzai announced new cabinet appointments, naming three women as ministers.

References

• Background Note: Afghanistan United States Department of State

This article contains material from the background notes on the countries of the world pulished by the United States Department of State, which as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.