The National Coalition of Afghanistan ( fa, ائتلاف ملی, Etelaf-e Milli; previously known as the Coalition for Change and Hope), is a political coalition in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

led by

Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah ( Dari/ ps, عبدالله عبدالله, ; born as Abdullah on 5 September 1960) is an Afghan politician who led the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) from May 2020 until August 2021, when the Afghan government w ...

, Afghanistan's former foreign minister (2001–2005) and main challenger of President

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...

in the 2009 Afghan presidential elections. Abdullah Abdullah was a close friend of the

Northern Alliance The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( prs, جبهه متحد اسلامی ملی برای نجات افغانستان ''Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islāmi-yi Millī barāyi Nijāt ...

leader Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated two days before the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

. Besides the

National Front of Afghanistan The National Front of Afghanistan (NFA; fa, جبهه ملی افغانستان, Jabhe Melli; also Afghanistan National Front, ANF), or Jabh-e Melli, was established in late 2011 by Ahmad Zia Massoud, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq and Abdul Rashid Dost ...

, the National Coalition presents the leading democratic opposition movement against the governments of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani. Abdullah Abdullah is supported among others by the governor of Balkh province, Ustad Atta Mohammad Noor. Both Abdullah and Atta Noor derive from the

Jamiat-e Islami Jamayat-E-Islami (also rendered as Jamiat-e-Islami and Jamiati Islami; fa, جمعیت اسلامی افغانستان, lit=Islamic Society), sometimes shortened to Jamiat, is a predominantly Tajik political party in Afghanistan. It was origi ...

like National Front of Afghanistan chairman Ahmad Zia Massoud and former intelligence chief

Amrullah Saleh Amrullah Saleh (Pashto/ prs, امرالله صالح, ; born 15 October 1972) is an Afghan politician who served as the first vice president of Afghanistan from February 2020 to August 2021, and acting interior minister from 2018 to 2019. He w ...

2001

After the Taliban were removed from power by United Front ground forces and NATO special forces in late 2001, the Shura-e Nazar which more or less had already been replaced by the United Front, dissolved as an organization. Many of its members are still connected and organised within this political party (The National Coalition of Afghanistan).

2010 parliamentary elections

The group ran candidates in the 2010 parliamentary election, winning more than 90 out of 249 seats in the

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

and thus becoming the main democratic opposition movement. As a result, it was assumed that the new parliament would introduce some checks and balances on the presidential power. The Coalition intends to focus on issues including the fight against corruption and reform of the Afghan electoral system. The current spokesman is Sayeed Agha Hossein Fazel Sangcharaki.Wali Arian, High Peace Council is Illegitimate: Change and Hope Coalition, TOLOnews, 11 October 2010.
/ref> Regarding the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

insurgency and Karzai's strategy of negotiations Dr. Abdullah stated: :"I should say that Taliban are not fighting in order to be accommodated. They are fighting in order to bring the state down. So it's a futile exercise, and it's just misleading. ... There are groups that will fight to the death. Whether we like to talk to them or we don't like to talk to them, they will continue to fight. So, for them, I don't think that we have a way forward with talks or negotiations or contacts or anything as such. Then we have to be prepared to tackle and deal with them militarily. In terms of the Taliban on the ground, there are lots of possibilities and opportunities that with the help of the people in different parts of the country, we can attract them to the peace process; provided, we create a favorable environment on this side of the line."

2014 presidential elections

The group ran candidates in the 2014 presidential election. Abdullah Abdullah represented The National Coalition of Afghanistan again in these elections, and competed against

Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban. Born in ...

for presidency with a second-round of elections.

National Coalition of Afghanistan

In December 2011, the Coalition for Change and Hope was broadened and transformed into the National Coalition of Afghanistan supported by dozens of Afghan political parties and led by Abdullah Abdullah to challenge the government of Hamid Karzai. Major figures associated with the coalition include: *

Yunus Qanooni Younus Qanooni ( prs, یونس قانونی, born on 10 May 1957 in Panjshir Valley) is an Afghan politician who was Vice President of Afghanistan. An ethnic Tajik, Qanooni is the leader of the '' Afghanistan e Naween'' (New Afghanistan) politic ...

(the former head of the Afghan Parliament) *Homayoon Shah-asefi (a former presidential candidate and leader of the monarchist party with ties to the family of former king

Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah (Pashto/Dari: , 15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last king of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Serving for 40 years, Zahir was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan s ...

) *

Mohammad Asim Asim Eng. Mohammad Asim Asim ( prs, محمدعاصم عاصم) is a politician in Afghanistan. He is a former governor of Parwan Province from 8 June 2015 till 4 February 2018. Early life and education Asim was born 1958 in Khinjan District, Baghla ...

(the former acting minister of ministry of communication and former member of parliament) *

Nur ul-Haq Ulumi Nur ul-Haq Ulumi (born 15 August 1941) is an Afghan politician, who served as Interior Minister from 2015 to 2016, and as a Member of the House of the People from 2005 to 2010 representing Kandahar. He founded and previously led the National Un ...

(a senior political figure in the former Afghan communist government) *

Ahmad Wali Massoud Ahmad Wali Massoud (Dari Persian: ; born 1 November 1964) is an Afghan politician and diplomat who is the founder and chairman of the Massoud Foundation in Afghanistan and is the younger brother of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud. Massoud obtained ...

(a younger brother of Ahmad Shah Massoud) *Several current Members of Parliament.

Electoral history

Presidential elections

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

*
Official website of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah
{{Political parties in Afghanistan 2010 establishments in Afghanistan Political parties established in 2010 Political parties in Afghanistan