Hamid Karzai (Pashto (Pashto language): ???? ???? - ??mid Karzay; born 24 December 1957) is the 12th (List of presidents of Afghanistan) President of Afghanistan, taking office on December 7, 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban government in late 2001. During the Bonn Conference in Germany, on December 5, 2001, Karzai was selected by prominent Afghan political figures (Politics of Afghanistan) to serve a six months term as Chairman of the Transitional Administration (Afghan Transitional Administration). He was then chosen for a two years term as the Interim President during the 2002 Loya Jirga in Kabul, Afghanistan. After the 2004 presidential election (Afghan presidential election, 2004), Karzai won and became President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan). He then won the 2009 presidential election (Afghan presidential election, 2009) after his opponent withdrew from the run-off race (Two-round system).