National Congress Party of Afghanistan

Political party in Afghanistan

Politics of Afghanistan
Political parties
Elections

The National Congress Party of Afghanistan (Persian: حزب کنگره ملی افغانستان Hezb-e Kongrā-ye Millī-ye Afghānistān) is a liberal, secular and anti-Pashtun nationalist political party in Afghanistan.^[1]^[2] The party was formed in 2004 and, is the only major opposition party that is not linked to an armed group.^[2] The leader of this party is Latīf Pedrām who was an opponent of the communist, Islamist and Taliban regimes. Pedram is also a critic of Hamid Karzai's government.^[1] As the party leader, Pedram, was a candidate in Afghanistan's 2004 presidential election and received the fifth most votes. Unlike other political parties in Afghanistan, the National Congress of Afghanistan has remained firm and united.^[3] Latīf Pedrām is a strong supporter of secularism, federalism and decentralization in Afghanistan. He denounces corruption and strongly opposes Islamic fundamentalism.^[4]^[5] He advocates an independent, but decentralized Afghanistan, and believes that the country should be divided into autonomous regions under the control of regional capitals.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Political Parties: Major Parties". Radio Free Afghanistan. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2005. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
^ ^a ^b "Democracy in Danger". International Federation of Human Rights. 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
^ Ruttig, Thomas (November 2006) "Islamists, Leftists – and a Void in the Center. Afghanistan's Political Parties and where they come from (1902-2006)" Archived 2013-05-24 at the Wayback Machine Konrad Adenauer Foundation
^ "Q&A: Afghanistan's Tajiks plea for federalism". www.aljazeera.com.
^ ^a ^b "FRONTLINE/WORLD Fellows . AFGHANISTAN - Without Warlords . A Secular Politician - PBS". www.pbs.org.