Hatice Vildan Topaloğlu
06 April 2016•Update: 11 April 2016
By Sinan Polat
KABUL
Two years has passed since Afghanistan’s last presidential election, but political instability remains ongoing, say analysts.
Afghanistan's national unity government, which was established via U.S. mediation, has failed to resolve chronic political disputes.
Analysts warn that the ongoing instability could lead to the current government’s downfall.
After the fall of the Taliban regime, Afghanistan’s first presidential polls were held on April 5, 2014.
In the election’s first round, in which eight candidates competed, no single contender secured enough votes to win outright, so a second round of voting was held.
The second round saw Ashraf Ghani -- the current president -- face off against Abdullah Abdullah amid widespread claims of electoral fraud.
Since the elections, however, the country -- which has already suffered years of war -- has continued to struggle with rampant instability.
Political analyst Nasrullah Stanikza told Anadolu Agency that unless a number of chronic political issues were resolved, the instability would likely continue.
One reason behind the ongoing instability is the general weakness of the central government’s authority, said Stanikza.
By way of example, a deputy governor and Tajik leader from the city of Balkh recent told a U.S. newspaper that the central government "cannot remove me from office".
Another recent example of the chronic political instability was the appointment of two different mayors to the city of Helmand -- one by President Ghani and another by Abdullah, who currently serves as Afghanistan’s chief executive.
Recent months have also seen the country’s intelligence chief, interior minister and minister of mines -- along with two governors -- resign from office due to conflicts with Ghani.
"The resignation of five high-ranking government officials in so short a time is illustrative of the increased political instability in the country," Afghan political analyst Ahmed Sayidi told Anadolu Agency.
