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| National Coalition of Afghanistan | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Coalition of Afghanistan |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Kabul |
National Coalition of Afghanistan The National Coalition of Afghanistan was a political alliance and parliamentary bloc formed in the early 2010s that brought together prominent Afghan political figures, former ministers, and members of the Meshrano Jirga and Wolesi Jirga to contest legislative influence in post-Hamid Karzai politics and the period of International Security Assistance Force withdrawal. The alliance sought to position itself amid competing movements such as the Afghan Mellat-aligned groups, Jamiat-e Islami, and factions linked to regional commanders and technocrats from Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat. Its membership and leadership drew from networks associated with the 2009 Afghan presidential election, 2014 Afghan presidential election, and subsequent peace and reconciliation initiatives including contacts with delegations tied to Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin and High Peace Council interlocutors.
The formation of the Coalition occurred against the backdrop of political realignment after the 2009 Afghan presidential election and during negotiations about the drawdown of the International Security Assistance Force and the transition to the Resolute Support Mission. Key founders included former cabinet members and parliamentarians who had served in administrations linked to Ashraf Ghani-era reforms, critics of Hamid Karzai-era patronage, and civil society figures with ties to Massoud Rajavi-style organisational networks and diaspora leaders in Kabul University circles. Its emergence paralleled efforts by other blocs such as the National Front of Afghanistan and the Reformist Movement to present unified tickets for the Wolesi Jirga and influence appointments to institutions like the Independent Election Commission and the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.
The Coalition's leadership group included notable politicians, former diplomats, and ex-ministers who had served in cabinets associated with figures like Gul Agha Sherzai, Abdul Rashid Dostum, and Yunus Qanuni. Organizationally the bloc operated as a loose caucus within the Wolesi Jirga and coordinated with networks in the Meshrano Jirga, provincial councils in Herat Province, Balkh Province, and Nangarhar Province, and municipal actors in Kabul. It set up coordination committees modeled on parliamentary groupings such as the Unity Front and drew on advisers from think tanks connected to Kabul Institute for Peace-style institutions and diaspora policy centers in Istanbul and Islamabad.
The Coalition advanced a platform focused on institutional reforms, anti-corruption measures, and security sector oversight that referenced frameworks discussed in dialogues involving NATO delegations, the European Union electoral observation missions, and Afghan legal reforms debated in the Loya Jirga. Its policy proposals addressed fiscal arrangements tied to funding mechanisms negotiated with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and legislative oversight of ministries previously led by figures associated with Karzai's cabinet and Ghani's administration. The bloc articulated positions on decentralization debates involving provincial governors appointed from networks tied to Ismail Khan and Mohammad Qasim Fahim, and on reconciliation processes that intersected with delegations from Qatar and envoy tracks run by United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan representatives.
The Coalition mounted candidate slates for parliamentary elections, organized town halls in provincial centers such as Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, and Jalalabad, and engaged with media outlets including broadcasters linked to Tolo TV and newspapers with editorial lines similar to Hasht-e Sobh. Campaign activities included legislative monitoring of debates on bills influenced by advice from legal experts associated with the Afghan Independent Bar Association and civic outreach coordinated with NGOs that had previously partnered with the United Nations Development Programme and United States Agency for International Development projects.
Electoral results for Coalition-affiliated candidates varied across provinces, with seats won in urban districts of Kabul, parts of Balkh, and constituencies in Herat where technocratic platforms resonated with voters engaged in markets linked to cross-border trade with Iran and Turkmenistan. The bloc's influence in parliament depended on coalition-building with factions connected to leaders like Abdullah Abdullah and groups aligned with former mujahideen commanders, affecting votes on confirmation of cabinets and key legislation including budget approvals tied to agreements with NATO and donor conferences hosted in Tokyo and London.
The Coalition maintained working relations and tactical alliances with parties such as Jamiat-e Islami, the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, and centrist reformers close to Abdul Salam Azimi and former diplomats with ties to United States and European Union missions. It also engaged international actors including delegations from Germany, Turkey, and multilateral agencies like the World Bank for policy dialogue, while participating in negotiation tracks that overlapped with representatives from Qatar and the United Nations.
Critics accused the Coalition of elite capture, drawing membership from figures linked to patronage networks associated with governors like Gul Agha Sherzai and warlords tied to Abdul Rashid Dostum, and of insufficient grassroots presence compared with movements such as the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan. Allegations included vote-buying in select constituencies, clashes with rival parliamentary groups during cabinet confirmations, and disputes over transparency in candidate selection that were raised in reports by observers from European Union missions and advocacy groups connected to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.
Category:Political parties in Afghanistan