Afghan electoral authorities announced a final list of 11 candidates for the country's April 5 presidential election. Here's a look at all of them, including the three who have since withdrawn, leaving eight in the running.
Afghanistan's Presidential Hopefuls
- By Frud Bezhan
1
Abdullah Abdullah (center)
ethnic Tajik
Vice-presidential running mates: Mohammad Khan (Pashtun) (left in photo), Mohammad Mohaqeq (Hazara) (right in photo)
Abdullah (born in 1960) is a former foreign minister and qualified eye surgeon. He finished second behind President Hamid Karzai in the 2009 presidential election, with around 30 percent of the vote.
The Jamiat-e Islami and Hezb-e Islami were deadly rivals during Afghanistan's civil war, but that did not prevent Jamiat-e Islami member Abdullah from adding Hezb-e Islami associate Khan to his ticket.
ethnic Tajik
Vice-presidential running mates: Mohammad Khan (Pashtun) (left in photo), Mohammad Mohaqeq (Hazara) (right in photo)
Abdullah (born in 1960) is a former foreign minister and qualified eye surgeon. He finished second behind President Hamid Karzai in the 2009 presidential election, with around 30 percent of the vote.
The Jamiat-e Islami and Hezb-e Islami were deadly rivals during Afghanistan's civil war, but that did not prevent Jamiat-e Islami member Abdullah from adding Hezb-e Islami associate Khan to his ticket.
2
Ashraf Ghani
Pashtun
Vice-presidential running mates: General Abdul Rashid Dostum (ethnic Uzbek), Sarwar Danish (Hazara)
Ghani (born in 1949) is a former finance minister and World Bank official who has a doctorate in cultural anthropology.
The Western-educated technocrat fared poorly in the 2009 election, coming in fourth place with only three percent of the vote
He raised eyebrows after partnering up with Dostum, a notorious former warlord who has been implicated in numerous human rights violations.
Pashtun
Vice-presidential running mates: General Abdul Rashid Dostum (ethnic Uzbek), Sarwar Danish (Hazara)
Ghani (born in 1949) is a former finance minister and World Bank official who has a doctorate in cultural anthropology.
The Western-educated technocrat fared poorly in the 2009 election, coming in fourth place with only three percent of the vote
He raised eyebrows after partnering up with Dostum, a notorious former warlord who has been implicated in numerous human rights violations.
3
Zalmai Rasul
Pashtun
Vice-presidential running mates: Ahmad Zia Masud (ethnic Tajik) and Habiba Sarabi (Hazara)
Rasul (born in 1944), a former foreign minister, is seen by many as the president’s favored candidate.
He hails from the powerful Mohammadzai tribe in the country's south that has ruled Afghanistan for most of the past century.
Rasul is a soft-spoken man who has kept a low profile during his time as a presidential adviser and minister.
Pashtun
Vice-presidential running mates: Ahmad Zia Masud (ethnic Tajik) and Habiba Sarabi (Hazara)
Rasul (born in 1944), a former foreign minister, is seen by many as the president’s favored candidate.
He hails from the powerful Mohammadzai tribe in the country's south that has ruled Afghanistan for most of the past century.
Rasul is a soft-spoken man who has kept a low profile during his time as a presidential adviser and minister.
4
Abdul Rasul Sayyaf (center)
Pashtun
Vice-presidential running mates: Ismail Khan (ethnic Tajik) (left in photo) and Abdul Wahab Erfan (ethnic Uzbek) (right in photo)
Sayyaf (born in 1946) is an influential lawmaker from Kabul who is one of the most controversial and conservative of the candidates.
He is an Egyptian-trained cleric who is credited with bringing leading Al-Qaeda figures -- including former leader Osama bin Laden -- to Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.
Sayyaf’s right-hand man, Khan, is the former energy and water minister. Khan, a former Tajik warlord from Herat Province, is referred to as the emir (or king) of western Afghanistan.
Pashtun
Vice-presidential running mates: Ismail Khan (ethnic Tajik) (left in photo) and Abdul Wahab Erfan (ethnic Uzbek) (right in photo)
Sayyaf (born in 1946) is an influential lawmaker from Kabul who is one of the most controversial and conservative of the candidates.
He is an Egyptian-trained cleric who is credited with bringing leading Al-Qaeda figures -- including former leader Osama bin Laden -- to Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.
Sayyaf’s right-hand man, Khan, is the former energy and water minister. Khan, a former Tajik warlord from Herat Province, is referred to as the emir (or king) of western Afghanistan.
