Hamid Karzai (24 December 1957 - ) is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan; taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001.

During the December 2001 International Conference on Afghanistan in Germany; Karzai was selected by prominent Afghan political figures to serve a six-month term as chairman of the Interim administration. He was then chosen for a two-year term as Interim President during the 2002 'loya jirga' (grand assembly) that was held in Kabul.

After the 2004 presidential election; Karzai was declared winner and became President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. He controversially won a second five-year term in the disputed 2009 presidential election while admitting the elections were flawed.