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The President of Afghanistan is Afghanistan's Head of State.
The current President of Afghanistan is Hamid Karzai, as of December 2004. He is the first democratically elected holder of that post.
Afghanistan has only intermittently been a republic - between 1973-1992 and from 2001 onwards - at other times being governed by a variety of kings, emirs and (under the mujahideen and Taliban regimes in the 1990s) Islamist rulers.
The present constitution of Afghanistan grants the president wide powers over military and legislative affairs, with a relatively weak national parliament. These were a subject of considerable controversy when debated by the country's loya jirga in December 2003. However, they were seen by the interim administration and its Western backers as being essential to securing the stability of Afghanistan.
Presidents of Afghanistan
Republic of Afghanistan (1973-1978)
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978-1987)
(as Presidents of the Revolutionary Council):
Republic of Afghanistan (1987-1996)
| Inaugurated | Left office | |
| 30 November 1987 | 16 April 1992 | Mohammad Najibullah |
| 16 April 1992 | 28 April 1992 | Abdul Rahim Hatef (acting) |
| 28 April 1992 | 28 June 1992 | Sibghatullah Mojadedi (acting) |
| 28 June 1992 | 27 September 1996 | Burhanuddin Rabbani |
After the Taliban was deposed in 2001 Rabbani proclaimed himself as President from November 13 to December 22
Hamid Karzi became interim administrator of the provisional government from December 22 to December 7, 2004
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004- )
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