What happened in 2004?
A historical review by Carlotta Gall.
2004 was the year that Afghanistan took firm control of its own political and constitutional future. Just two years after the American-led war against the Taliban regime, the transitional government under the leadership of Hamid Karzai, with the help of the United Nations, organised a grand assembly to draw up a new constitution in January, and hold Afghanistan's first ever presidential elections in October.
New Constitution - 500 delegates from all over the country gathered in the capital, Kabul, for a loya jirga, or grand assembly to approve the new constitution. After three weeks of sometimes intense debate, the assembly approved a constitution January 3, 2004, that introduced a new democratic system for Afghanistan, with an elected president, two houses of parliament and an independent judiciary. The country would be named the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and all laws would be in keeping with Islam, in recognition of the strong place Islam holds in the hearts of the people, but the assembly delegates, a mixture of tribal, regional and political leaders, and members of civil society, with good representation of women, unanimously approved a democratic system, where for the first time in its history Afghanistan's leaders would be directly elected.
Presidential Elections - The task of holding elections was daunting, and many argued the country was not ready for them. Eighty per cent of the people are illiterate, and live in remote mountainous regions, and six million people - more than a third of the population - still do not have enough to eat. Many of the militias and regional commanders remained active and armed and, it was feared, would exert control over the political process. The Taliban, ousted from power in 2001, were continuing a bloody insurgency in the south and east of the country, threatening and often killing people who supported the election process. Aid workers were also targeted and the year was a particularly black one for Afghan and international aid agencies, with killings and kidnappings. Yet despite the violence and the logistical delays, the elections passed off successfully on October 9, 2004, with an enthusiastic turnout across most of the country. The result was a solid victory for the leader of the last three years, Hamid Karzai, and a new five-year term as Afghanistan first ever elected president.
The problems facing Afghanistan remain enormous. Poverty after two decades of war is widespread, security remains poor in many regions, and reconstruction efforts are still inadequate. Much of the basic infrastructure still has to be rebuilt - roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and government buildings -- and officials trained. The government is still struggling to establish itself as a functioning authority in the regions. In the coming months it has to disarm militias and prepare for local and parliamentary elections in 2005 and, under international pressure, has to start tackling opium cultivation and trafficking which has increased rapidly in recent years and endangers so much of what has been achieved. Most of the population in Afghanistan lives by agriculture and many farmers rely for survival on the poppy crop, which brings in more money than other crops. Intense efforts are needed to help them manage with alternative livelihoods, improved crops and access to markets to prevent them becoming even more impoverished.