Presidential Candidates

1. Abdul Latif PEDRAM Born: 1963 (Hegira 1342) in Badakhshan Province Political Affiliation: ran for president as candidate of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan (Hizb-e Kongra-ye Milli-ye Afghanistan), of which he is also party leader First Vice-Presidential Running Mate in 2004: Ahmad Niro Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate in 2004: Mohammad Qasem Ma'sumi

Pedram finished fifth (1.4 percent) as the presidential candidate of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan, which he co-founded and chairs. He is a former journalist, poet, and professor of Oriental studies who served as editor in chief of "Haqiqat-e Inqelab-e Sawr" -- the official mouthpiece of the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) -- during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-89). After the downfall of the communists in 1992, Pedram spent years in Parisian exile. He is an ethnic Tajik.     Pedram's presidential candidacy came under pressure when the Afghan Supreme Court called for him to be disqualified over "anti-Islamic" remarks he allegedly made while discussing women's issues in August 2004.     Pedram last year called for the eventual transformation of Afghanistan into a federal system to ensure peace and stability, a move that some fear would instead further divide the country or even lead to its disintegration. He has decried "narrow-view nationalism," although some critics have accused him of playing the ethnic card against the Pashtun majority.     He campaigned against the presence of "foreign forces' bases...under any pretext or label by any country that might threaten security among Afghanistan's neighbors or our national security" (BBC Dari Service).     Pedram spearheaded the initial call by a majority of the presidential candidates in 2004 for Hamid Karzai to step down from his Transitional Administration chairmanship in order to run for the presidency; the group threatened to boycott the election if Karzai did not comply (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dari). SOURCES: JEMB; RFE/RL; Radio Free Afghanistan; Ludwig W. Adamec, "Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan"; Martin Ewans, "Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics"; and as noted.