Fifteen candidates will contest in a tight race to power in the fourth official election since the Taliban's rule officially ceased in 2001. The militant group has not remained silent, however, and has made it clear that it would derail the entire election process despite previous commitments to peace.
With just one day to go before the presidential election, here is a quick guide to the candidates, who make up a mixed bag of famous, promising and controversial figures.
Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani
Despite a relatively large number of candidates and the unpopularity of the current government, Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, is considered as the only front-runner. He might have been beaten by Mohammad Hanif Atmar, the former National Security Adviser who repeatedly advocated for a peace deal with the Taliban movement and even took part in talks with the group Had Atmar not called off his campaign over security concerns, he would have provided Ghani with viable competition.
The start of Ghani’s presidency was marred by a very controversial election and accusations by his main presidential rival, Abdullah Abdullah. After months of stalled negotiations and accusations of fraud, both declared victory in the election. To make concessions with Abdullah, a special extraconstitutional post was created specifically for him. Additionally, a National Unity Government between both run-off candidates was also formed.
After accusations of unprecedented election fraud from his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, he agreed to form the National Unity Government.
During his five-year term, Ghani came under heavy criticism for being unable to curb violence in the war-stricken country and tackle government corruption. This criticism intensified after he was left in power four months after his term had ended. His tenure officially concluded in May, but the government extended it by order of the Supreme Court. The multiple postponements have raised concerns among the opposition regarding the legitimacy of the election.
Dwelling on the previous experience of a unity government and on whether he would do the same again, Ghani has repeatedly stressed that he was against any division of power in the country and would never accept an executive branch headed by Abdullah.
"I will never be ready to accept the executive [branch in its current form]. We need only one team [government headed by the president] in the leadership. I accept the National Unity Government because national unity can happen, but it did not. Time [was] wasted and we did not reach the goal because in one government there were two voices", Ghani stated.
Ghani also promised to tackle the Taliban, which has stepped up its attacks ahead of the presidential election, threat in the country primarily with Afghan forces. According to him, the function of foreign troops in Afghanistan has changed, and national forces are now capable of operating independently.
"The role of foreign forces has changed, we can operate independently. Our partnership with the US is [based] on interest, while US security is tied to our [Afghan] security", Ghani said, speaking on the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan which remains a major stumbling block in peace talks.
Abdullah Abdullah's Third Try at Presidency
Despite Ghani’s refusal to accept the unity government, he must now reconcile with Abdullah, at least during his election campaign. Now, the chief executive officer has become his main presidential challenger, after the suspension of Atmar’s campaign.
The 58-year-old leader of the National Coalition of Afghanistan is running for president for the third time. He had repeatedly said that he would not allow the catastrophe that was the 2014 election to happen again.
Abdullah, a former medical doctor, served as the foreign minister in the administration of Ghani's predecessor, Hamid Karzai. He also worked as an adviser to Ahmad Shah Massoud, the legendary anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban resistance commander who is now considered a national hero.
Speaking at campaign rallies, the politician has repeatedly promised to put an end to lies in the government and not continue to wield power with Ghani like he did these five years.
Apart from Ghani and Abdullah, other candidates are viewed as having little chances of dominating the political scene.
Notorious Warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Though he has low chances, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Afghanistan’s notorious former warlord and militant leader, is one of the most controversial and widely-discussed candidates this election season.
He twice served as the country's prime minister during the 1990s and even got nicknamed the "Butcher of Kabul" for his alleged role in attacks on Kabul.
In the 1970s and 1980s, at the dawn of his rise to power, he was largely funded by the CIA. However, later, when he started waging a campaign against the US troops in Afghanistan, Washington radically changed its stance toward Hekmatyar, putting him on a terrorist list. He was removed from it in 2017. The politician was also out of favour with Kabul, which was why he lived in a self-imposed exile in Pakistan for nearly two decades until 2016.
Hekmatyar also criticised the upcoming election, saying that the vote would be "more fraudulent and embarrassing" than all previous ones.
"These elections will be more fraudulent and embarrassing than any other election, trying to fill the boxes with fraud", Hekmatyar, who is also a founder and the current head of the Hezb-e Islami political party which was formed as an elitist avant-garde movement with strict Islamic ideology, said.
Former Intel Chief Rahmatullah Nabil
Rahmatullah Nabil, the two-time head of Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS), the country’s primary intelligence agency, is an outspoken opponent of the Taliban. He has also been a vocal critic of Ghani’s administration, and blamed the president for the growing lack of security and using the national treasury to finance his campaign.
Nabil, who was the head of the NDS during the 2014 election, has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of his coming to power. The intelligence agency reportedly registered scores of signals that indicated Ghani's involvement in election fraud. Nabil resigned from his post a year after the election.
Under Nabil's leadership, The NDS has repeatedly come under fire for failing to prevent the Taliban's attacks, and the Afghan security service has been criticised for turning a blind eye to the group's activities.
This time, Nabil vowed a crackdown on the militant movement.
"We will take the chance of [waging] war from them, thereby putting pressure on the Taliban and forcing them to talk", Nabil, said.
Ahmad Wali Massoud, Brother of National Hero
The presidential race is also joined by Ahmad Wali Massoud, a prominent figure on the national political stage. A former ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Kingdom, he heads the Massoud Foundation in honor of his brother, Ahmad Shah Massoud. Known to his supporters as the "Lion of Panjshir," Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated by suicide bombers in 2001. The day of his death, September 9th, is marked annually in Afghanistan.
Ahmad Wali Massoud, who has repeatedly vowed to take the country out of its political and economic crises once in office, branded the ongoing peace efforts as a mere political project.
"Peace is a complex issue in Afghanistan, but over the years we see that it has transformed into a project, and with the current government the peace efforts have resulted in a political collision," he stated.
Wealthy Businessman Sayed Noorullah Jalili
Unlike the harsh stance of his rivals toward the Taliban group, wealthy businessman Sayed Noorullah Jalili is in favor of recognizing the Taliban movement as the solution to the peace deal. He vowed that, if elected, his government would be open to considering reconciliation with the Taliban if the latter committed to peace.
"Peace needs analysis, it needs to be resolved piece by piece, and so does the whole resolution process...Unless the Taliban group is recognised, there will not be peace; we will recognise the Taliban", Jalili, who is running as an independent candidate, said.
When asked to comment on the Taliban insurgency, the candidate said that he could relate to where the movement was coming from but condemned their fighting methods, specifically their terrorist attacks.
"If the Taliban guarantee the end of the war and ensure peace, and assures me the situation, I am ready to accept anything with the Taliban", he added.
Ex-Interior Minister Noorulhaq Ulumi
Former Interior Minister Noorulhaq Ulumi is also an avid critic of the current Afghan leadership. Ulumi, who serves as head of the National United Party, said that the government failed to resolve the many crises in the country and is instead focusing its efforts on suppressing its political opponents.
"The National Unity Government has failed in all areas and is busy with beating internal political rivals. Elections have come to a point where neither consensus exists nor internal conflicts have been resolved", Ulumi said.
The presidential contender insisted that the incumbent government possessed all the necessary resources to run an effective presidential race while other candidates were deprived of the possibility for a proper campaign.
Hakim Tursan, Outside of Race
While most of the above-mentioned candidates have had political experience and even obtained the high-ranking positions, Hakim Tursan stands out among his competitors for having neither a campaign headquarters nor influencing position on his resume.
However, he said that he is "100 percent" sure that he will win the hearts and votes of the people and does not see a rival among other candidates.
Tursan, an ethnic Uzbek who served in an intelligence agency under Soviet-era President Mohammad Najibullah, is widely snubbed by media as an outsider in the race.
Despite being up against some stiff competition, Tursan has not given up hope since he believes that the past of all his rivals put them to shame, while he is completely innocent.
"I have a programme for these people to take our society from trouble and will finish by subduing [all those] powerful and warlords. People know all the candidates, and I have no bad background. That’s why people trust me", Tursan said.
He believes that he is "in the hearts of the people", with the other candidates not around to challenge him.
