The prime minister of Afghanistan, officially the prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the head of government of Afghanistan.

The position was created in 1927 as an official appointed by the king of Afghanistan. The holder served mostly as an advisor, until the end of the Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1973. During the 1980s, the position was the head of government. The post was abolished after the US invasion that ousted the Taliban regime, after which a presidential form of government was established which lasted from 2004 to 2021. After the US withdrawal and the re-establishment of the Taliban rule, the post was revived.

The prime minister and government are subject to the instruction of the supreme leader. On September 7, 2021 the Taliban officials who exercised de facto control of Afghanistan announced Islamic scholar Hasan Akhund as acting prime minister in a new interim government of the recently re-established Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. On August 15, 2025 Akhund and other members of his cabinet were appointed on a permanent rather than acting basis.

History

Kingdom

The chairman of the Council of Ministers was not the prime minister, but the king. Only during his absence was the prime minister the acting chairman of the Council.

Until 1963, King Mohammad Zahir Shah appointed his relatives as prime ministers. The king also had the power to dismiss or transfer the prime minister. From 1963 onwards, this was changed, stating that the head of the Afghan government was the prime minister, and that the government consisted of its ministers. It was the first time that the king did not play an important role in the government, leaving it to an elected authority. However, it also stated that they cannot engage in any other profession during their tenure of office.

The 1964 Constitution also granted the prime minister the power to summon the Electoral College in case of the death of the king. The prime minister only answered to the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of the Parliament) about the General Policy of the government, and individually for their prescribed duties.

Democratic Republic

In April 1978, Mohammad Daoud Khan was killed during a coup that started the Saur Revolution. The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) revived the office of prime minister that year, and it remained throughout the 1980s.

The president was in charge of the appointment of the prime minister, who in turn appointed the Council of Ministers. The Council's stated purpose was to formulate and implement domestic and foreign policies, to formulate economic development plans and state budgets, and to ensure public order.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the president was required to appoint the prime minister in order to form the government. The prime minister had the power to dissolve the government. Several Afghan presidents during the Democratic Republic era were also appointed as prime minister. With the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the prime minister was no longer in charge of the government. The general secretary of the PDPA or the director of the KHAD exercised greater power.

Also, the 1990 Constitution established that only Afghan-born citizens are eligible to hold the office, something that was not specified in the previous documents.

Islamic State

After the collapse of Mohammad Najibullah's government, a transitional state was created. Thus, the office of prime minister once again played an important role in the history of the nation.

There was constant friction between the president and the premier during this period. The state had collapsed and there was not an effective central government from 1992 until 1996. Thus, the position became de facto ceremonial, with little power in what was left of the government.

Islamic Emirate

The title was abolished when the Taliban forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan took over control in 1996. The deputy leader of the Taliban was often known as the prime minister throughout its rule. With the death of Mohammad Rabbani in 2001, the Taliban decided not to revive the office.

Until September 1997, the government which the Taliban had ousted, which remained in rebellion until the end of the Taliban rule in 2001, had a prime minister in the government, but the position was abolished.

On September 7, 2021, the Taliban reinstated the position of prime minister with the formation of a new interim government.

List of prime ministers

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

Name Portrait Lifespan Term of office Political affiliation Took office Left office Time in office Kingdom of Afghanistan (1926–1973) Shir Ahmad –? 25 October 1927 January 1929 Independent Shir Giyan died 1929 January 1929 1 November 1929 Saqqawist Mohammad Hashim Khan 1884–1953 1 November 1929 9 May 1946 Independent Amanat Lewana Unknown Unknown Shah Mahmud Khan 1890–1959 9 May 1946 7 September 1953 Independent Mohammad Daoud Khan 1909–1978 7 September 1953 10 March 1963 Independent Mohammad Yusuf 1917–1998 10 March 1963 2 November 1965 Independent Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal 1919–1973 2 November 1965 11 October 1967 Independent Progressive Democratic Party Abdullah Yaqta 1914–2003 11 October 1967 1 November 1967 Independent Mohammad Nur Ahmad Etemadi 1921–1979 1 November 1967 9 June 1971 Independent Abdul Zahir 1910–1982 9 June 1971 12 November 1972 Independent Mohammad Musa Shafiq 1932–1979 12 November 1972 17 July 1973 Independent Post abolished (17 July 1973 – 1 May 1978) Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978–1992) Nur Muhammad Taraki 1917–1979 1 May 1978 27 March 1979 People's Democratic Party Hafizullah Amin 1929–1979 27 March 1979 27 December 1979 People's Democratic Party Babrak Karmal 1929–1996 27 December 1979 11 June 1981 People's Democratic Party Sultan Ali Keshtmand 1935–2026 11 June 1981 26 May 1988 People's Democratic Party Mohammad Hasan Sharq born 1925 26 May 1988 21 February 1989 Independent Sultan Ali Keshtmand 1935–2026 21 February 1989 8 May 1990 People's Democratic Party Fazal Haq Khaliqyar 1934–2004 8 May 1990 15 April 1992 People's Democratic Party Homeland Party Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992–2002) Abdul Sabur Farid Kohistani 1952–2007 6 July 1992 15 August 1992 Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin Post vacant (15 August 1992 – 17 June 1993) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar born 1947 17 June 1993 28 June 1994 Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin Arsala Rahmani Daulat 1937–2012 28 June 1994 1995 ≈ 1 year Ittehad-e Islami Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai 1944–2021 1995 26 June 1996 ≈ 1 year Ittehad-e Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar born 1947 26 June 1996 11 August 1997 Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai 1947–1997 11 August 1997 21 August 1997 Independent Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001) MullahMohammad Rabbani 1955–2001 27 September 1996 13 April 2001 Taliban MawlawiAbdul Kabir born 1958 16 April 2001 13 November 2001 Taliban Post abolished (13 November 2001 – 7 September 2021) Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021–present) MullahHasan Akhund between 1945 and 1958 7 September 2021 Incumbent Taliban MawlawiAbdul Kabir born 1958 17 May 2023 17 July 2023 Taliban

Timeline This is a graphical timeline of the heads of government of Afghanistan. They are listed in order of first assuming office.

The following chart lists heads of government by lifespan (living heads of government on the green line), with the years outside of their tenure in beige. Heads of government with an unknown birth date or death date are shown with only their tenure or their earlier or later life.

The following chart shows heads of government by their age (living heads of government in green), with the years of their tenure in blue. Heads of government with an unknown birth or death date are excluded. The vertical black line at 35 years indicates the minimum age to be chairman of the Council of Ministers during the existence of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

Notes

See also Supreme Leader of Afghanistan President of Afghanistan List of heads of state of Afghanistan Chief Executive (Afghanistan) Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan

References

External links