Abstract:
The conference on the finalisation of international aid schemes for developing institutions in Afghanistan in the context of the Afghanistan Compact, a five-year framework plan, ended on 1 February in London. The Afghan parliament, which was formed in December 2005, will certainly be a crucial institution for the country's political future. At the same time, however, the nature of the parliament reveals the risks inherent in the country's political development. The future progress of the current political process is called into question by fundamental structural deficits, such as the absence of political parties. The efficiency of the Afghan parliament will probably be limited by its extremely fragmented nature, by power struggles between individual leading personalities, and by the tendency of its delegates to form systems of patronage based on personal loyalties. (SWP Comments / SWP)