Role of the Legislature in Gender and Public Participation

Abstract

The parliament of Afghanistan, like many other such institutions, has three main functions: representation, legislation, and oversight of government activities. The degree of legislative and oversight power differs in shaping socioeconomic policies and strategies in each country. To better understand the role of the Afghan legislature in gender and participation, it is important to briefly review the structure of its parliament. The National Assembly of Afghanistan, or parliament, consists of two houses: the lower house [Wolesi Jirga] (WJ) and the upper house [Meshrano Jirga] (MJ). The WJ has 250 members elected directly by the people in a constituency, and the MJ has 102 members, one third of whom (34) are nominated by the president and the rest come [by internal election] from district and provincial councils. The WJ is more powerful than the MJ; it approves the appointment of cabinet ministers, summons them for questions and can impeach. All laws that the government drafts and submits for approval to the legislature go first to the lower house and then to the upper house for ratification, with the exception of the budget. Only the national budget comes from the upper house to the lower house for adoption. The WJ and MJ have grouped their members into different commissions. The lower house has 18 commissions or committees and the upper house has 12.