House of the People (Afghanistan)

House of the People ولسي جرګه Wolasi Jirga
250px
Type
Type	Lower house of the National Assembly
Seats	249
Elections
Last election	Afghan parliamentary election, 2010
Meeting place
Kabul
Website
wj.parliament.af

The House of the People or Wolesi Jirga (Pashto: ولسي جرګه‎), abbreviated WJ, is the lower house of the bicameral National Assembly of Afghanistan, alongside the House of Elders.

The House of the People is the chamber that bears the greater burden of lawmaking in the country, as with the House of Commons in the Westminster model. It consists of 249 delegates directly elected by single non-transferable vote (SNTV). Members are elected by district and serve for five years. The constitution guarantees at least 64 delegates to be female. Kuchi nomads elect 10 representatives through a Single National Constituency.

The House of the People has the primary responsibility for making and ratifying laws and approving the actions of the president. The first elections in decades were held only in September 2005, four years after the fall of the Muslim fundamentalist Taliban regime, still under international (mainly UN and NATO) supervision.

The 2010 Wolesi Jirga elections were held on September 18, 2010.

Elections

Main article: Afghan parliamentary election, 2010

Elections were last held on September 18, 2010. Originally, they were planned to be held in May 2010, but after the disputed previous presidential election, elections were postponed. There were more than 2,500 candidates.

Members of Parliament (2005)

Some members of the Wolesi Jirga's 2005 election were:

Name	Role	Constituency	Notes
Mohammad Younis Qanooni	Speaker	Kabul Province	Member of Afghan cabinet during the Afghan Interim Administration and Afghan Transitional Administration.
Mirwais Yasini	First Deputy Speaker	Nangarhar Province	Candidate for President during the 2009 Afghan Presidential elections.
Mohammad Arif Noorzai	First deputy speaker	Kandahar Province	He was a deputy speaker. He is related to President Hamid Karzai through marriage.
Burhanuddin Rabbani		Badakshan Province	Former President of Afghanistan. Leader of Islamic Society of Afghanistan
Pacha Khan Zadran		Paktia Province	Signatory to Bonn Conference. Fell under suspicion of warlordism.
Mawlawi Nadim Shahryar Qazizada		Panjshir Province	A prominent anti-Taliban figure, who fought against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda during the resistance period in Afghanistan.
Malalai Joya		Farah Province	women's rights campaigner, nicked "the bravest woman in Afghanistan."
Sayed Mohmood Hasamuddeen Al-Gailani		Ghazni Province	He is a grandson of Pir Gailani, a prominent Sufi, and leader of an Afghan political party.
Ali Akbar Qasimi		Ghazni Province	He is a General in the Afghan National Army, and was a former commander of the 14th Division, which was garrisoned in Ghazni.
Mohammad Daud Sultanzoy		Ghazni Province	Sultanzoy, prior to his election, was a pilot for United Airlines.
Niyaz Mohammad Amiri		Ghazni Province	His brother, Shah Mohammad, and his cousin Hajji Fazell, are Governors of two of Ghazni's districts.
Rahila Bibi Kobra Alamshahi		Ghazni Province	She is a teacher and journalist.
Zahera Ahmadyar Mawlayee		Ghazni Province	She was formerly the head of the Ghazni women's shura. She was a University Physics and Math instructor at a
Shah Gul Rezai		Ghazni Province	She was a teacher from the Jaghoray district, prior to her election.
Abdul Qayyum Sajjadi		Ghazni Province	He was the editor of a science journal prior to taking office.
Khyal Mohammad Mohammad Khan		Ghazni Province	He is the finalcial chief for the Hezbi Islami. His election was close—he won by two votes.
Al-Haj Mamur Abdul Jabar Shulgari		Ghazni Province	Prior to his election he served in the Loya Jirga that drafted Afghanistan's new Constitution.
Abdul Bagi Baryal		Ghazni Province	He founded an organization for the disabled after he was blinded and lost a leg from a rocket during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
Fauzia Gailani		Herat Province	Won more votes than any other female candidate. Won more votes than any other candidate in Herat.
Fazlullah Mojadeddi		Logar Province	Formerly Governor of Logar. Member of Wolesi Jirga from 2005-2010. Did not run in the 2010 Elections.
Dr. Shakila Hashimi		Logar Province	She is the chairperson of the Health Committee
Ali Mohammad		Logar Province	Serves on the Communications, Urban Development, Water, power, Municipal Affairs Committee
Wali Wahdatyar Ahmadzai		Logar Province	Unknown
Haji Akbar Stanekzai		Logar Province	Unknown
Hajji Alam Gull Kuchi		Kuchi people
Shukria Barakzai		Kabul Province	women's rights campaigner, journalist.
Malalai Shinwari		Kabul Province	Shinwari was a journalist prior to running for office. She reports her supporters were subjected to intimidation from traditionalists. She opposes selling daughters into marriage to pay off debts.
Fauzia Nasryar Haidari		Kabul Province
Fatima Nazry		Kabul Province
Erfanullah Erfan		Kabul Province
Alami Balkhi		Kabul Province	According to a report from the Naval Postgraduate School According to the report he is "associated with [Yunus] Qanuni's political faction."
Anwar Khan Auriakhel		Kabul Province
Baidar Zazai		Kabul Province
Abbas Noyan		Kabul Province
Jamil Karzai		Kabul Province	He is a second cousin to President Hamid Karzai. He was head of the National Youth Solidarity Party. It stated he sat on the Internal Security Committee.
Obaidullah		Kandahar Province	Served on the Economics committee.
Malali Ishaqzai		Kandahar Province	She served on the Government Services Committee.
Haji Ahmad Shah Khan Asakzai		Kandahar Province	He sat on the Armed Service Committee.
Haji Ameer Lali		Kandahar Province	He sat on the Armed Services Committee.
Fariba Ahmadi Kakar		Kandahar Province	She sat on the Armed Services Committee.
Habibullah Jan		Kandahar Province	Assassinated in 2008. Reported to have been a "sometimes rival of [President] Karzai". Reported to have been assassinated by the Taliban. He sat on the "Kandahar Security Shura".
Khalid Pashtoon		Kandahar Province	He was the deputy chair of the Internal Security Committee.
Noorulhaq Olumi		Kandahar Province	He was the chair of the Armed Services Committee.
Shakiba		Kandahar Province	She sat on the Environment Committee.
Sayyad Mohammad		Kandahar Province	He sat on the Armed Services Committee.
Amir Khan Sabri		Khost Province	He sat on the Communications Committee.
Mawlawi Hanif Shah al-Hussaini		Khost Province	He sat on the Justice Committee.
Sahira Sharif		Khost Province	She sat on the Education Committee.
Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy		Khost Province	He sat on the Internal Security Committee.
Gul Haar Jalal		Kunar Province	She sat on the Disabled and Martyrs Committee.
Shujaul Mulik		Kunar Province	He sat on the Internal Security Committee.
Mawlawi Shahzada Shahid		Kunar Province	He sat on the Counter-narcotics committee.
Al-Haj Sahib Rahman		Kunar Province	He was assassinated by a suicide bomber on November 6, 2007. He sat on the Economics Committee.
Sayed Durahman		Laghman Province	Prior to being elected to the national legislature he was a madrassa teacher.
Engineer Mohammad Alim Qarar		Laghman Province	He was a former commander with the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin militia.
Zefnoon Safai		Laghman Province	She sat on the legislature's budget committee.
Esmatullah Muhabat		Laghman Province	He was killed in 2005.
Mulla Abdul Salam Rakity		Zabul Province	A former Taliban commander. He sat on the Internal Security Committee.
Hameedullah Khan Tokhi		Zabul Province	He sat on the Internal Security Committee.
Toorpekai		Zabul Province	She sat on the Communications Committee.
Ahmad Waheed Khan Tahiri		Herat Province
Abdul Hadi Jamshidi		Herat Province
Abdul Salam Qazizada		Herat Province
Ahmad Behzad		Herat Province
Ahmad Waheed Khan Tahiri		Herat Province
Aqayee Jebraili		Herat Province
Aziz Ahmad Naadim		Herat Province
Gul Ahmad		Herat Province
Mohammad Arif Tayab		Herat Province
Mohammad Salih Saljoqi		Herat Province
Najla Dehqan Nizhad		Herat Province
Qazi Nazir Ahmad		Herat Province
Rahimi Jami		Herat Province
Saadat Fatahi		Herat Province
Sayyad Mohammad Shafiq		Herat Province
Shahnaz Hemati		Herat Province
Zarin		Herat Province

See also

• National Assembly of Afghanistan
• House of Elders
• Politics of Afghanistan
• List of legislatures by country

External links

• Website of the Wolesi Jirga (English)