House of Elders (Afghanistan)


The House of Elders or Mesherano Jirga, is the upper house of the bicameral National Assembly of Afghanistan, alongside the lower House of the People. The House of Elders primarily has an advisory role rather than a maker of law. However, it does have some veto power.
The House of Elders has 102 members. One-third are elected by district councils for three-year terms, one-third by provincial councils for four-year terms, and one-third are nominated by the president for five-year terms. However, elections for the district councils were not held in the 2005 parliamentary elections. As such, each provincial council also selected one of its elected members to temporarily hold seats in the house until district council elections are held. Half of the presidential nominees have to be women, two representatives from the disabled and impaired and two from the Kuchis.

Speakers

Speakers of the Mesherano Jirga since establishment in 1931
NameEntered officeLeft officeNotes
Mirza Abdul Latif Khan19311933
Mohammed Ata Khan19341936
Mir Ata Mohammad Khan19371939
Mir Ata Mohammad Khan19401942
Mir Ata Mohammad Khan19431945
Fazi Ahmad Khan Mojadadi19461948
Fazi Ahmad Khan Mojadadi19491951
Fazi Ahmad Khan Mojadadi19521954
Fazi Ahmad Khan Mojadadi19551957
Hafiz Abdul Ghafar19581960
Abdul Hadi Dawi19611964
Abdul Hadi Dawi19651968
Abdul Hadi Dawi19691972
Dissolved19731988
Mahmood Habibi31 May 19881992
Not functioning19922005
Sibghatullah MojaddediDecember 200529 January 2011
Fazel Hadi Muslimyar29 January 2011Incumbent

Reserved seats for women

Having been absent from the decision-making process for centuries, Afghan women for the first time entered the political arena in 2001, after the overthrow of Taliban. With the introduction of reserved seats provision in the 2002 Emergency Loya Jirga, when ten percent of 1600 seats were reserved for women, the ground was laid for participation of Afghan women in parliament.
The new 2004 constitution secured reserved seats for women and minorities in both houses of parliament. In the 2005 parliamentarian elections, Afghan women won 89 seats. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, in 2009 they held 67 seats in the House of the People and 22 in the House of Elders. This representation is above the worldwide average of 18.5% and above the average of the United States at 16.8% for the House and 15.4% for the Senate.