Suffrage: undetermined; previously males 15-50 years of age

Executive branch: on 27 September 1996, the ruling members of the
Afghan Government were displaced by members of the Islamic Taliban
movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning
government at this time, and the country remains divided among
fighting factions
note: the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate government
of Afghanistan; the UN has deferred a decision on credentials and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant
until the question of legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations
among the warring factions; the country is essentially divided along
ethnic lines; the Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and
approximately two-thirds of the country including the predominately
ethnic Pashtun areas in southern Afghanistan; opposing factions have
their stronghold in the ethnically diverse north-General DOSTAM's
National Islamic Movement controls several northcentral provinces and
Commander MASOOD controls the ethnic Tajik majority areas of the
northeast

Legislative branch: non-functioning as of June 1993

Judicial branch: non-functioning as of March 1995, although there are
local Shari'a (Islamic law) courts throughout the country

Political parties and leaders: Taliban (Religious Students Movement),
Mohammad OMAR; United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan
[comprised of Jumbesh-i-Melli Islami (National Islamic Movement),
Abdul Rashid DOSTAM; Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society), Burhanuddin
RABBANI and Ahmad Shah MASOOD; and Hizbi Wahdat-Khalili faction
(Islamic Unity Party), Abdul Karim KHALILI]; other smaller parties are
Hizbi Islami-Gulbuddin (Islamic Party), Gulbuddin HIKMATYAR faction;
Hizbi Islami-Khalis (Islamic Party), Yunis KHALIS faction;
Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan (Islamic Union for the
Liberation of Afghanistan), Abdul Rasul SAYYAF;
Harakat-Inqilab-i-Islami (Islamic Revolutionary Movement), Mohammad
Nabi MOHAMMADI; Jabha-i-Najat-i-Milli Afghanistan (Afghanistan
National Liberation Front), Sibghatullah MOJADDEDI;
Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami (National Islamic Front), Sayed Ahamad GAILANI;
Hizbi Wahdat-Akbari faction (Islamic Unity Party), Mohammad Akbar
AKBARI; Harakat-i-Islami (Islamic Movement), Mohammed Asif MOHSENI

Political pressure groups and leaders: tribal elders represent
traditional Pashtun leadership; Afghan refugees in Pakistan,
Australia, US, and e