President of Afghanistan 

June 7, 2011 | Posted by Owner | Filed under Afghanistan, State Leaders 

Hamid Karzai 
Date of Birth: 24 December 1957 
Birth Place: Kandahar, Afghanistan 
Political Party: Independent 
Arrival in Power: 22 December 2001 
Religion: Sunni Muslim 
Profession: Politician

Biography
Hamid Karzai was born near Kandahar in 1957, his family were voiced supporters of King Zahir Shah. Hamid Karzai studied Political Science in India. Before becoming president he was involved in the resistance against Soviet Occupation. At first he was supportive of the Taliban and then moved away from them.

Hamid Karzai came in power in 2001 after he was placed into the position of interim president. In 2004 he was elected democratically as the first elected Afghan President. He his slowly introducing reforms, and the economy is growing steadily. However, recently some controversial laws were proposed that would affect women's rights, and Karzai received much criticism from his international allies. Hamid Karzai again made the news in 2010, when he criticized his Western allies and suggested he might just join the Taliban, if he doesn't get his way. 

The elections in 2009 were widely criticized for being unfair and rigged in favor of Karzai, hurting the credibility of his government.

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Sources:

http://www.president.gov.af/sroot_eng.aspx?id=166
BBC News 
CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/karzai.html
The Economist 
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Karzai