Understanding the Unity Government of Afghanistan: Case of 2014 Presidential Election

Abstract

The 2014 presidential election in Afghanistan after two rounds did not have any result and the country went in to serious crisis. Only after mediation of the U.S. the dispute was solved and a unity/coalition government was formed, but the influence of the U.S. was not the only reason for which the candidates (Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah) agreed on power sharing. Therefore, this thesis seeks to find out why the National Unity Government of Afghanistan was formed. The qualitative research method was used to study the topic. The study has found that ethnic and informal politics have played a crucial role in the formation of the National Unity Government of Afghanistan. As a result of ethnic competition for power the unity government was formed so that all the major ethnic groups (Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek) could share power. Pressure of informal institution such as tribal leadership on the candidates and fear of the warlords for destabilizing the country and accelerating the crises further facilitated the formation of the unity government. The study concludes that influence of ethnic politics and informal institutions has been significant on the formal politics of Afghanistan.