Abstract

In accordance with Article 4 of the Bonn Agreement, the presidential election in Afghanistan was held on October 9, 2004. The election was a “real departure” from Afghanistan’s past and ushered in a legitimate constitutional system of governance. Hamid Karzai was elected the President and thus resulted in what can be called the “Pashtun comeback,” not “Pashtun dominance,” to the helm of power. The election, contrary to expectations, was not marred by ethnic, ideological and linguistic cleavages so characteristics of the Afghan society. Karzai’s government will be better advised to facilitate the creation of a “balanced party system” in Afghanistan.