Afghanistan has only intermittently been a republic - between 1973-1992 and from 2001 onwards - at other times being governed by a variety of kings, emirs and (under the mujahideen and Taliban regimes in the 1990s) Islamist rulers.
The present constitution of Afghanistan grants the president wide powers over military and legislative affairs, with a relatively weak national parliament. These were a subject of considerable controversy when debated by the country's loya jirga in December 2003. However, they were seen by the interim administration and its Western backers as being essential to securing the stability of Afghanistan.
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (April 1978 - November 1987)
The government was reconstructed in classical Leninist fashion. Until 1985 it was governed by a provisional constitution, The Fundamental Principles of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Supreme sovereignty was vested in a Revolutionary Council, originally a body of fifty-eight members whose number later varied. Its executive committee, the Presidium, exercised power when the council was not in formal session. The Revolutionary Council was presided over by the President of the Democratic Republic.
Republic of Afghanistan (November 1987 - April 1992)
A new constitution took effect in November 1987. The name of the country was reverted to the Republic of Afghanistan; the State Council was replaced by a National Assembly for which "progressive parties" could freely compete.
