Forty-four candidates were registered for the 2009 Afghan presidential election when the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan (IEC) announced its official preliminary list of candidates on May 17, 2009. Three candidates withdrew from the race before the election took place, having thrown their support behind one of the top two contenders. Forty-one names appeared on the ballot paper, although a few more had by then announced through the media that they had dropped out.
List of presidential candidates
The candidates participating in the Afghan presidential election on August 20, 2009, were:
Name Preliminaryvotingresults notes Abdul Hasib Arian 2027 A senior police official. One of three candidates, beside the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, who ran for president in 2004. Abdul Jabar Sabit 2560 Served as Afghan Attorney General in 2006. Reported to be a former aide to renegade Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Abdul Latif Pedram 7311 One of three candidates, beside the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, who ran for president in 2004. Leader of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan. An ethnic Tajik. Abdul Majid Samim 998 Withdrew from the election, and asked his supporters to vote for Hamid Karzai. Alhaj Abdul Ghafor Zori 4955 Served as chief of finance for Nimroz Province from 1976 to 1978 and 2001–2003. Alhaj Shah Mahmood Popal Withdrew his candidacy prior to the election. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai 48375 Served as Afghan Finance Minister from 2002 to 2004. Bashir Ahmad Bizhan 1272 Bizhan is a journalist. Bizhan founded the Kangara Afghanistan National Party. Baz Mohammad Kofi Threw his support behind Hamid Karzai. Bismillah Shir 2179 Dr. Abdullah Abdullah 638924 Former Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Frozan Fana 8159 One of two female candidates in the 2009 election. Dr. Ghulam Faroq Nijrabi 2240 One of three candidates, beside the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, who ran for president in 2004. An ethnic Tajik, head of Afghanistan's Independent Party. Dr. Habib Mangal 7339 Ambassador to the Soviet Union during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Medical doctor. Dr. Mohammed Nasir Anis Withdrew his candidacy prior to the election. || || Engineer Moin-ul-din Ulfati 1645 Gul Ahmmad Yama 1434 Prior to his candidacy Yama had been a scholar in literature. Haji Hasan Ali Sultani Withdrew his candidacy prior to the election. Hajji Rahim Jan Shinzad 3118 Hamed Karzai 940558 President of the Afghan Interim Administration and the Afghan Transitional Administration, and then elected the first post-Taliban President in 2004. Hidayat Amin Arsala 1067 Afghan Foreign Minister in the coalition government that preceded the Taliban. Also served as Afghan Commerce Minister. Has a PhD in economics from George Washington University. Mahbob-U-lah Koshani 5755 An economist, with a Master's from Moscow University. A co-founder of the Afghanistan Liberal Party. Mawlana Abdul Qadir İmami Ghori Withdrew his candidacy in early August, 2009. He urged his supporters to vote for Sayed Jalal Karim. Mawlawi Mohammad Sayed Hashimi Threw his support to Hamid Karzai in late July. Mirwais Yasini 23059 Currently speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of Afghan's national legislature. Mohammad Akbar Oria 1353 Mohammad Hakim Torsan Withdrew his candidacy prior to the election. Mohammad Hashim Tawfiqi 2406 An economist who has served as Deputy Minister of the Afghan Ministry of Mine and Industry Mohammad Sarwar Ahmadzai 4028 Mohammad Yasin Safi Withdrew his candidacy prior to the election. Motasim Billah Mazhabi 18248 Mullah Abdul Salam Rakity 8250 Famous for shooting down a Soviet helicopter with rocket propelled grenade during the Soviet occupation. Taliban field commander. Elected to the National assembly. Mullah Ghulam Mohammad Rigi 2240 Nasrullah Baryalai Arsalai Threw his support behind Dr Abdullah in mid-July. Ramazan Bashardost 277404 Formerly Afghan Planning Minister. Law degree from Toulouse University. Sangin Mohammad Rahmani 1138 Sayed Jalal Karim 5572 Shahla Ata 4356 One of two female candidates in the 2009 election. Shahnawaz Tanai 13512 Formerly chief of Afghanistan's army under the Soviet-backed Republic of Afghanistan. Zabih-U-llah Ghazi Noristani 1516 Zia-ul-haq Hafizi 724
See also Afghan Transitional Administration Civilian casualties of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Demography of Afghanistan International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan List of Afghan Transitional Administration personnel War in Afghanistan (1978–present) War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Northern Alliance
References
External links List of candidates in the Afghan presidential election (photos) Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) website IEC (Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan) website FEFA (Free & Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan) website United Nations Development Programme - UNDP/ELECT website Afghan Elections Dossier, August 2009, Radio France Internationale coverage Afghanistan's Elections coverage from The Washington Post