Below are the key points of Afghanistan's first post-Taleban constitution, adopted by the country's grand assembly, or loya jirga, on Sunday, as carried by the French news agency AFP.- Afghanistan is an Islamic republic with Islam as its "sacred religion";
- Followers of other religions are free to perform religious ceremonies in accordance with the provisions of the law;
- No law shall be contrary to the beliefs and practices of Islam;
- Men and women have equal rights and duties before the law;
- Afghanistan will have a presidential system of government;
- The president is responsible to the nation and the lower house, or Wolesi Jirga;
- The president will be directly elected by the Afghan people with two vice-presidents, who are nominated by presidential candidates when standing for election;
- A national assembly will consist of two houses: a Wolesi Jirga or "house of people" and a Meshrano Jirga or "house of elders";
- The Wolesi Jirga will be directly elected by the Afghan people;
- The Wolesi Jirga has the authority to impeach ministers;
- The president will appoint ministers, the attorney general and central bank governor with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga;
- Ministers should not hold foreign passports but the Wolesi Jirga should vote whether to approve appointments of ministers holding dual nationality;
- Former king Mohammad Zahir Shah is to be accorded the title "Father of the Nation" for his lifetime ;
- Pashto and Dari are the official languages with other minority languages to be considered official languages in the areas in which they are spoken.
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