Ghani cabinet | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Date formed | 29 September 2014 (2014-09-29) |
| Date dissolved | 15 August 2021 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | Ashraf Ghani |
| Head of government | Ashraf Ghani |
| Totalno. of members | 28 |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Second Karzai cabinet |
| Successor | Akhund cabinet |
PresidentAshraf Ghani's cabinet was the cabinet of Afghanistan from 29 September 2014 until 15 August 2021.[1]
After theInternational Conference on Afghanistan in London, on 11 December 2014[27] Ghani announced that the rest of the former Karzai cabinet was substituted by their deputies.
| Ministry | Name of candidate | Time of takeover |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Affairs | Atiqullah Atifmal[28](acting) | 11 December 2014 |
| Finance | Mohammad Mustafa Mastoor[29](acting) | 11 December 2014 |
| Commerce and Industry | Mozammil Shinwari[30](acting) | 11 December 2014 |
| Women’s Affairs | Sayeda Mujgan Mustafawi[31](acting) | 11 December 2014 |
| Ministry | Name of candidate | Affiliation | Time of nomination | Status | Result[32] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Sher Muhammad Karimi[33] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Interior Affairs | Nur ul-Haq Ulumi[34] | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | was uneligible due to holding dual citizenship on 21 January 2015[35] but surrendered his second passport on time[32] | approved |
| Foreign Affairs | Salahuddin Rabbani | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | was uneligible due to holding dual citizenship on 21 January 2015[35] but surrendered his second passport on time[32] | approved |
| Finance | Ghulam Jilani Popal[36] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | opted out on 19 January 2015[37] | |
| Eklil Ahmad Hakimi[38] | pro–Ghani | 19 January 2015 | approved | ||
| Justice | Ahmad Sayer Mahjur | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | was uneligible due to holding dual citizenship on 21 January 2015[35] | |
| Najib Aqa Fahim[39] | pro–Abdullah | 26 January 2015 | was not voted on due to missing document reviews on 26 January 2015[32] | ||
| Education | Zalmay Yunusi[40] | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Women’s Affairs | Najiba Ayubi | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | was uneligible due to allegations of missing formal graduation[32] | |
| Public Works | Abas Basir[41] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Public Health | Ferozuddin Feroz[42] | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | approved | |
| Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock | Mohammad Yaqub Haidari[43] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | paused his nomination on 20 January 2015 due to corruption allegations[44] and eventually wihdrew altogether[45] | |
| Mines and Petroleum | Daud Shah Saba[46] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | approved | |
| Telecommunication and Information Technology | Barna Karimi | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Rural Rehabilitation and Development | Nasir Ahmad Durrani[47] | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | approved | |
| Higher Education | Khatera Afghan[48] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Water and Power | Mahmoud Saikal[49] | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | opted out on 20 January 2015[44] | |
| Abdul Rahman Salahi | pro–Abdullah | 20 January 2015[50] | rejected | ||
| Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled | Sadat Mansoor Naderi[51] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | was uneligible due to holding dual citizenship on 21 January 2015[35] and did not surrender his second passport on time[32] | |
| Refugees | Alami Balkhi[52] | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | approved | |
| Haj and Religious Endowments | Faiz Mohammad Osmani[53] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | approved | |
| Counter Narcotics | Faizullah Kakar[54] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | was uneligible due to holding dual citizenship on 21 January 2015[35] | |
| Information and Culture | Ai Sultan Khairi[55] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | was uneligible due to holding dual citizenship on 21 January 2015[35] and did not surrender her second passport on time[32] | |
| Abdul Bari Jahani[56] | pro–Ghani | 26 January 2015 | was not voted on due to missing document reviews on 26 January 2015[32] | ||
| Borders and Tribes | Qamaruddin Shinwari | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Economy | Sardar Muhammad Rahmanughli[57] | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Commerce and Industry | Sardar Mohammad Rahimi[58] | pro–Abdullah | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Transport and Aviation | Faizullah Zaki | pro-Ghani pro-Dostum | 12 January 2015 | rejected | |
| Urban Development | Shah Zaman Maiwandi[59] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | was uneligible due to holding dual citizenship on 21 January 2015[35] | |
| NDS[60] | Rahmatullah Nabil | pro–Ghani pro-Karzai | 12 January 2015 | approved | |
| Central Bank[60] | Khalilullah Sediq[61] | pro–Ghani | 12 January 2015 | did not present his credentials to parliament due to allegations of holding dual citizenship[32] | |
All acting ministers who were not replaced by a permanent minister stayed in office.[32][7]
| Ministry | Name of candidate | Affiliation | Time of takeover[62] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior Affairs | Nur ul-Haq Ulumi[34] | pro–Abdullah | 1 February 2015 |
| Foreign Affairs | Salahuddin Rabbani | pro–Abdullah | 1 February 2015 |
| Finance | Eklil Ahmad Hakimi[38] | pro–Ghani | 1 February 2015 |
| Public Health | Ferozuddin Feroz[42] | pro–Abdullah | 1 February 2015 |
| Mines and Petroleum | Daud Shah Saba[46] | pro–Ghani | 1 February 2015 |
| Rural Rehabilitation and Development | Nasir Ahmad Durrani[47] | pro–Abdullah | 1 February 2015 |
| Refugees | Alami Balkhi[52] | pro–Abdullah | 1 February 2015 |
| Haj and Religious Endowments | Faiz Mohammad Osmani[53] | pro–Ghani | 1 February 2015 |
| NDS[60] | Rahmatullah Nabil | pro–Ghani pro-Karzai | was already in office as acting director |
| Higher Education | Bari Sediqi[63](acting) | unknown | after 17 March 2015[64][7] |
| Ministry | Name of candidate | Time of takeover |
|---|---|---|
| Local Governance[25] | Ghulam Jilani Popal[36](acting) | 12 May 2015[82] |
| Ministry | Name of candidate | Affiliation | Time of nomination | Result | Time of takeover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Abdullah Habibi[83] | pro–Ghani | 19 April 2015[84] | was expected to be introduced to parliament[85] but that never happened[86] | |
| Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai[87] | pro–Ghani pro-Karzai | 21 May 2015 | rejected | 24 May 2015[88]as acting minister and continued to serve in an acting role despite being rejected on 4 July 2015 | |
| Central Bank[60] | Khalilullah Sediq[61] | pro–Ghani | 1 July 2015 | approved | 8 July 2015 |
| Ministry | Name of minister | Affiliation | Time of takeover |
|---|---|---|---|
| NDS[60] | vacant[89] | 10 December 2015[90] | |
| Massoud Andarabi(acting) | unknown | 11 December 2015 | |
| Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai[87] | pro-Ghani | 5 May 2016[91] | |
| Interior | vacant | 6 February 2016 | |
| Taj Mohammad Jahed[92] | unknown | 24 February 2016[93] | |
| Mines and Petroleum | vacant | 28 March 2016 | |
| Ghazal Habibyar Safi[94](acting) | unknown | 16 April 2016[95] | |
| Defence | Abdullah Habibi[83] | pro-Ghani | 5 May 2016[91] |
| Borders, Nations and Tribal Affairs | vacant | 16 October 2016[96] | |
Since late 2015, many ministers came into doubt by the parliament due to accusations of corruption and professional ineffectiveness. On 2 November 2015, Interior MinisterNur ul-Haq Ulumi escaped the parliament's no-confidence vote because of not reaching a two-thirds majority, as did Communications and IT MinisterAbdul Razaq Wahidi on 4 January 2016. On 13 July 2016, Women's Affairs MinisterDelbar Nazari narrowly stood in power after a vote of confidence.
| Ministry | Name of minister | Affiliation | Time of vote | Result[97] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior | Nur ul-Haq Ulumi[34] | pro–Abdullah | 2 November 2015[98] | approved |
| Communications and IT | Abdul Razaq Wahidi[72] | pro–Abdullah | 4 January 2016[99] | approved |
| Women's Affairs | Delbar Nazari[73] | pro–Abdullah | 13 July 2016[100] | approved |
In November 2016, a series of votes of confidences were held in theWolesi Jirga. All in all, seven ministers were sacked due to allegations of shortcomings in their performance and their failure to spend all allocated budgetary funds on time while further six ministers were accused too on but got the vote of confidence. First on 12 November, these were Foreign MinisterSalahuddin Rabbani, Public Works MinisterMahmoud Baligh and the Minister for Martyrs, Disabled, Labor and Social AffairsNasrin Oryakhil. On 13 November, the dismissals of Education MinisterAssadullah Hanif Balkhi and Transportation and Civil Aviation MinisterMohammadullah Batash followed. On 14 November, Higher Education MinisterFarida Momand was unseated, and on 15 November, Communications and IT MinisterAbdul Razaq Wahidi was also dismissed by the parliament. However, since 12 November, President Ghani asked the dismissed ministers to continue their job until theSupreme Court makes a final decision.[101] On 16 November further three ministers were voted confident by parliament.[102]
No candidates were presented for the ministries ofForeign Affairs,Information and Culture andEducation.
| Ministry | Name of minister | Affiliation | Result[139] | Time of takeover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior | Wais Ahmad Barmak[135] | unknown | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Borders and Tribal Affairs | Gul Agha Sherzai[134] | pro–Ghani | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Public Works | Yama Yari | pro–Ghani | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Economy | Mohammad Mustafa Mastoor[29] | pro–Abdullah | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Transportation and Civil Aviation | Mohammad Hamid Tahmasi[115] | pro–Ghani | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock | Nasir Ahmad Durrani[47] | pro–Abdullah | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Defence | Tariq Shah Bahramee[130] | pro-Ghani | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Rural Rehabilitation and Development | Mujib Rahman Karimi[138] | unknown | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled | Faizullah Zaki | pro-Ghani pro-Dostum | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Higher Education | Najibullah Khwaja Omari[120] | pro–Ghani | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Communications and IT | Shahzad Gul Aryoubi[125] | unknown | approved | 4 December 2017 |
| Mines and Petroleum | Nargis Nehan[126] | unknown | rejected | 4 December 2017[140] |
On 27 January 2019, Ghani issued a decree to merge theMinistry of Counter Narcotics with theMinistry of Interior, and on 19 February 2020, he issued a decree splitting theMinistry of Water and Energy into the separate independent authorities of theNational Water Affairs Regulation Authority and theAuthority for the Regulation of Energy Services.[141] Before the2019 presidential election, there had been 15 acting ministers, including those dealing with security.[142]
Despite the parallel inauguration ofAbdullah Abdullah andAshraf Ghani as presidents on 9 March 2020 and the subsequent uncertainty and threat of a parallel government, Ghani in his inauguration speech said he would postpone cabinet appointments for two weeks to allow for the necessary opportunity for cooperation and alignment with all prominent political factions involved in the election. In practice, he started the following appointments almost three weeks after the inauguration.Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal andHaneef Atmar were nominated asFinance andForeign Affairs Minister respectively and started in their positions in an acting role in early April, while also approvingAhmad Zia Saraj in his role als head ofNDS andTahir Zuhair nominating asInformation and Culture Minister but who only started acting on 9 June 2020. Ghani also nominatedMohammad Shakir Kargar aschief of staff andFazal Mahmood Fazli as General Director of the Office of Administrative Affairs as cabinet members. Further nominations of cabinet posts were delayed.[177] Until 2 June 2020,Hasina Safi,Ahmad Jawed Osmani,Mahmud Karzai andAjmal Ahmady were also introduced as actingWomen's Affairs,Public Health andUrban Development Minister[178] andGovernor of the Central Bank respectively,[179] followed by the nominations ofRangina Hamidi asEducation andHaroon Chakhansuri asMines and Petroleum Minister and other cabinet posts until 14 June 2020.[180] All cabinet posts up to this point were appointed by Ghani's camp.[141]
On 17 May, Ghani and Abdullah signed a power-sharing agreement. The agreement stipulates that Abdullah will introduce candidates for half the cabinet posts, including for some key ministries, and that provincial governors will be appointed based on an agreed rule.[181][142] On 9 July, Abdullah introduced a list of cabinet nominees (that was regarded as incomplete as there were intra-camp differences)[182] to Ghani:Massoud Andarabi forInterior Affairs,Fazel Ahmed Manawi forJustice,Bashir Ahmad Tahyanj forLabor and Social Affairs,Noor Rahman Akhlaqi forRefugees and Repatriation,[183]Abas Basir forTransport and Civil Aviation,Sadat Mansoor Naderi forEconomy,Anwar ul-Haq Ahady forAgriculture, Irrigation and Livestock,Kanishka Turkistani forHigher Education,Mohibullah Samim forBorders and Tribal Affairs,Nisar Ahmad Ghoryani forCommerce and Industry andMasooma Khawari forCommunications and Information Technology, andNajib Aqa Fahim for theState Ministry for Martyrs and Disabled[184] andMohammad Mustafa Mastoor for theState Ministry for Peace.[185] Other news outlets named fewer[186] or more[141] ministries allocated to Abdullah while a lot more were still up to discussion. No appointments were made by the Abdullah camp by early August 2020, but rather Ghani re-nominated the already actingAssadullah Khalid andMassoud Andarabi for the key ministries ofDefense andInterior, although it was reported that this was a joined decision by both Ghani and Abdullah, at least in the case of Andarabi as the Minister of Interior.[141] In late July it was reported that Ghani had rejected five ministerial candidates due to various reasons.[187] During all this time, the ministries without new nominations were still headed by the previous ministers and acting ministers.[141]
On 31 August 2020, the Administrative Office of the President announced that nine ministers and one state minister had been appointed by Abdullah who immediately started in an acting role.[188][189] These minister nominees have largely been the same as those from his introduction on 9 July, with the exception of Kanishka Turkestani who was replaced by Abas Basir as nominee for theMinistry of Higher Education, who in turn was replaced byQudratullah Zaki as nominee for theMinistry of Transport and Civil Aviation. Also, Mastoor was reintroduced as Minister of Economy instead of being nominated for theState Ministry for Peace. This role went to Sadat Mansoor Naderi who earlier was actually nominated as Minister of Economy.[184] Najib Aqa Fahim andAzizullah Ariafar have not been nominated for their intended role ofState Minister for Martyrs and Disabled andDirector General of the Independent Commission for Administrative Reform and Civil Service.[184] The appointed ministers have been officially introduced at the Presidential Palace on 15 September 2020.[190]
On 13 October 2020 it was announced that the nominated ministers will be introduced to theWolesi Jirga on 20 October before a vote of confidence can be held.[241] 24 ministers were eventually introduced to the lower house of parliament.[242] The first round of votes was held on 21 November 2020, were ten nominees were approved.[243] The second round was held on 30 November, with 6 approvals and two rejections.[244] This was followed up by a third round on 2 December where three nominees were approved and three were rejected.[245] The oath of office, however, was only taken on 4 February 2021, over two months after the votes of confidence were taken,[246] what sparked criticism.[247]
The five rejected nominees stayed in power as "supervisors" or acting ministers in their respective ministry.[248][249] After the number rose to eight officials (seven ministers and the governor of the Central Bank) being in an acting role by April 2021, theWolesi Jirga demanded new appointees for the ministries.[250] When theTaliban seized control on Kabul and announced the reestablishment of theIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, almost all cabinet members either resigned or fled the country. The last minister of the Islamic Republic,Wahid Majrooh, was removed by the newde facto regime on 22 September 2021.[251]
| Ministry | Name of minister | Affiliation | Time of takeover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health | vacant[248] | 31 December 2020[252][253] | |
| Wahid Majrooh[254](acting) | unknown | 29 January 2021[255] | |
| Finance | Khalid Payenda[256](acting) | pro-Ghani | 23 January 2021[257] |
| Alam Shah Ibrahimi(caretaker) | unknown | 10 August 2021[258] | |
| Martyrs and Disabled Affairs | Hamidullah Farooqi[259] | pro-Ghani[260] | 25 January 2021[261] |
| Interior | Hayatullah Hayat(acting) | unknown | 19 March 2021[262] |
| Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal[263](acting) | unknown | 19 June 2021[264] | |
| Defense | Yasin Zia[265](caretaker)[266] | unknown | 19 March 2021[262] |
| Assadullah Khalid[156] | pro-Ghani | 24 May 2021[267] | |
| Bismillah Khan Mohammadi[268](acting) | unknown | 19 June 2021[264] | |
| Preceded by | Ghani cabinet 2014–2021 | Succeeded by |