Malyar Lakhani (1997-) was an Afghan National Front politician who served as President of Afghanistan from 2018.
Biography[]
Malyar Lakhani was born in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan in 1997. Educated in Scotland, Lakhani returned to Afghanistan after graduating college and entered politics with the National Front of Afghanistan. In 2018, he was elected to the Wolesi Jirga, where he became his party's parliamentary leader; his party, having won 17.62% of the vote and 6/35 seats, was the largest party in the country, closely followed by the National Coalition, which won 16.24% of the vote and 6/35 seats. The ensuing presidential contest between the two parties' leaders was similarly close; Lakhani narrowly defeated National Coalition candidate Ghazan Naqvi 50.6%-49.4%.
Presidency[]

Lakhani (center-right) meeting with (left to right): Aminjon Dehoan, Niyaz Makham, Jahangir Tiliwaldi, Gul Makai Chaudhry, and Bakht Rawan Popalzai
The Lakhani administration's first achievement was the implementation of public housing, which was agreed upon in a 30-0 (with 1 abstention and 4 absences) vote. The Jirga then voted 14-9 (with 7 abstentions) to keep the agricultural subsidy, with Hezbi Islami, the National Coalition, the PIUPA, the Republican Party of Afghanistan, and factions of The National Front unsuccessfully voting in favor of the repeal. In addition, the Jirga voted 21-1 (with 2) abstention to increase the number of Parliament seats from 35 to 70 to better represent the minority parties. The Jirga later voted 27-1 to approve agriculture research, 11-10 (with 11 abstentions) to approve a housing tax, 30-1 to approve retirement homes, and 17-7 to approve party funding. In the third week of January, new elections were held for the newly-enlarged Jirga. The National Front won 18.04% and 13 seats, the National Coalition fell to 13.73% and 10 seats, Hezbe Wahdat fell to 13.37% and 9 seats, Hezbi Islami rose to 12.45% and 9 seats, Jamiat-e Islami fell to 10.22% and 7 seats, Junbish rose to 16.87% and 12 seats, the PIUPA rose to 7.98% and 5 seats, NUPA fell to 4.50% and 3 seats, and the Republican Party fell to 2.85% and 2 seats. A day later, the National Front fundraised $137 million, followed by Junbish with $125 million and the National Coalition with $111 million. As Junbish was now the second-largest party, Lakhani faced Niyaz Makham in the ensuing election, again winning with just 50.5% to Makham's 49.5%. Lakhani's second term saw the Jirga vote 58-3 in favor of a school bus tax, 37-28 to invest in police over hospitals, 54-9 to approve public libraries, 64-1 to approve free primary education, 42-12 to resume road maintenance, 30-20 to approve an income tax, and 49-9 against unlimited presidential term limits (its only support coming from the Hazara parties); Hezbe Wahdat then launched four weeks of protests. Near the year's end, new elections were held, which saw Junbish emerge as the largest party with 18.82% of the vote and 13 seats, the National Front fell to 15.22% and 11 seats, the National Coalition rose to 14.76% and 10 seats, Hezbe Wahdat rose to 14.9% and 10 seats, Hezbi Islami rose to 13.49% and 10 seats, Jamiat-e Islami rose to 10.36% and 7 seats, and the PIUPA fell to 6.80% and 5 seats, the NIUPA to 3.49% and 2 seats, and the Republican Party to 2.16% and 2 seats. A week later, the Jirga voted 55-5 in favor of a bus transport service. The week after that, that season's presidential election resulted in a split 50%-50% vote for Lakhani and Makham, and the deadlock led to Lakhani continuing on as President.