Ministry of Interior; nonparty figures hold some posts

Suffrage: universal, male ages 15-50

Elections:
Senate--last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1991);
results--PDPA is the only party;
seats--(192 total, 115 elected) PDPA 115;

House of Representatives--last held NA April 1988 (next to be held
April 1993);
results--PDPA is the only party;
seats--(234 total) PDPA 184, 50 seats reserved for opposition

Communists: the PDPA claims 200,000 members (1988)

Other political or pressure groups: the military and other branches of
internal security have been rebuilt by the USSR; insurgency continues
throughout the country; widespread anti-Soviet and antiregime sentiment
and opposition on religious and political grounds

Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, ITU, NAM, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG; suspended from OIC in January 1980

Diplomatic representation: Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires MIAGOL;
Chancery at 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
(202) 234-3770 or 3771; US--Charge d'Affaires (vacant);
Embassy at Ansari Wat, Wazir Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul; telephone 62230 through
62235 or 62436; note--US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with the
national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands;
similar to the flag of Malawi which is shorter and bears a radiant, rising, red
sun centered in the black band

- Economy
Overview: Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked
country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock
raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations, however, have played
second fiddle to political and military upheavals, including the nine-year
Soviet military occupation (ended 15 February 1989) and the continuing
bloody civil war. Over the past decade, one-third of the population has
fled the country, with Pakistan sheltering some 3 million refugees
and Iran perhaps 2 million. Another 1 million have probably
moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Large numbers
of bridges, buildings, and factories have been destroyed or
damaged by military action or sabotage. Government claims
to the contrary, gross domestic product almost certainly is
lower than 10 years ago because of the loss of labor and capita