The government has introduced a number of the provincial governors after months of delays in appointing key government officials due to the protracted presidential election process. Chief Executive of Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, has suggested that a number of current provincial caretakers would be appointed as governors in addition to appointing new provinces. Many of the top provincial posts are still vacant as there is no indication of the government’s resolve to quickly fill the provincial posts. So far governors of less than a dozen of Afghanistan’s provinces have been appointed by the unity government and almost all the provinces were run by caretakers. According to the reports, the leaders of the National Unity Government (NUG) have had negotiations over appointment of the provincial governors, and they would continue talks to fill vacant all the top provincial posts. The move comes amidst rising grievances from the public over inefficiency of the local administrations as the insurgency is raging a bloody war in many of the country’s provinces.

The move is coming as a late but right development in the sluggish process of filling key government positions. The prolonged process of the last year’s presidential elections and the subsequent formation of National Unity Government (NUG) have rendered the Afghan government unable of running the day-to-day and key affairs of the country smoothly and efficiently. It also has exacerbated the chronic corruption in provincial administration that is tuning the public exhausted with the corrupt local officials. The new appointments is indicating that NUG is finally come to the point to overcome internal politics and agree on some of the key provincial positions. The urgency of the situation at local levels both in regards to security situation and administrative affairs of the government must have convinced the leaders of the NUG to move more urgently in appointing the governors.

The NUG leaders should not prolong the process of completing the government’s structure any further. The increasing security, administrative and economic challenges in the country are believed to be partly due to the lack of leadership and administration in the provinces. With the Afghan government effectively dysfunctional in last seven months, the administrative and executive affairs of the government at local levels were also chaotic and ineffective. With the government in state of uncertainty in about eight months, caretaker ministers were running the government and public affairs in the provinces. However, the caretakers were officially banned of their due authorities in governorship either by law or the presidential order. For instance, the governors did not have the authority to hire or fire new top and low level employees, and they were at no position to execute other key activities of the local administrations.

The caretaker governors in the provinces did not have the power and authority of running the administrative affairs of the provincial administrations. Many important tasks in government offices such as HR and procurement issues as well as development works of the government had been effectively frozen as the government executives had been stripped of their due authority to run the activities at local levels. This was the reason behind the insufficiencies in functioning of the local administrations. Many of the caretaker governors had publicly expressed their grievances on their lack of authority to perform their key duties. Even some of the governors threatened to resigned as they were seeking to be provided the required authority from the government. The government had promised to take whatever necessary actions in making a robust and efficient government both at national and local levels. It is never early for the government to do so by filling the key provincial posts in urgent manner.

The NUG did the right job to finally act decisively in introducing nominees for the ministries and having approved the nominees. With no doubt, it is the time for the Government to act promptly on appointing all governors. Finalization and completion of the government structure would quickly help to restore efficient governance at local levels and improve the overall economic, governance and security situation. Many believe that the public views towards to the local government departments are extensively negative. The local administrations are seen as ineffective, corrupt and unwilling to deal with the challenges the people are facing. This requires the NUG’s urgent action to fulfill the promises and build effective and responsible administrations in the provinces. 

On the other hand, the dire security threats and the ongoing war across the country also partly due to lack of leadership on all levels of the government including at local levels. Taliban are battling its most ferocious war with the government of Afghanistan in past over a decade of the conflict while the local administrations are not well positioned to tackle the threats or help the security agencies in their security operations. The Taliban’s new approach this year towards the ongoing war has particularly target the provinces. The insurgent groups have had limited gains in some provinces and have inflicted heavy casualties on ordinary people and security personnel. However, it is clear the insurgents are not in the position to take major provincial capitals or districts, but it should not ignored that the widening insecurity along with other factors will render the local administrations unable of running efficiently. The government has made clear pledges to the people, and it is time for the government to act promptly on fulfilling the promises.