Everything about Politics Of Iraq totally explained
The politics of
Iraq takes place in a framework of a more or less
federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the
Prime Minister of Iraq is the
head of government, and of a
multi-party system.
Executive power is exercised by the government.
Legislative power is vested in both the
government and the
National Assembly of Iraq. Politics of Iraq includes the
social relations involving
authority or
power in
Iraq. Before the fall of
Saddam Hussein in
2003, the
Ba'ath Party officially ruled. The occupation yielded to an
interim Iraqi constitution, which was replaced by a permanent
constitution following approval in a
referendum held on
October 15,
2005.
A permanent 275-member Iraqi National Assembly was elected in a
general election in December 2005, initiating the formation of a new
government.
The
Prime Minister of Iraq is
Nouri al-Maliki, who holds most of the executive authority and appoints the
cabinet
. The current
President of Iraq is
Jalal Talabani, who serves largely as a
figurehead, with few powers. The
vice presidents are
Tariq al-Hashimi and
Adel Abdul Mehdi, deputy leader of
SCIRI, the largest party in the
Iraqi National Assembly.
Return of Sovereignty
The path to full sovereignty for Iraq was a gradual one:
- On November 15 2003 an agreement was released spelling out Iraq's path to sovereignty.
- On March 8 2004 an interim constitution, the Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period was approved by the governing council, which further expanded on the structure established the proceeding November.
- Prior to April, 2004 U. S. government officials referring to the transition date Iraq had used the language "sovereignty" or "full sovereignty." For example, on March 15, 2004 U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage stated (External Link) that on June 30, "the Iraqi interim government will assume full sovereignty and the United States will open a diplomatic mission in Baghdad, the largest U.S. mission anywhere in the world."
- On 28 June 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority dissolved and full governmental authority was transferred to the sovereign Iraqi Interim Government (IIG).
A few have asserted that the term "return of sovereignty" stems from a flawed understanding of international law: according to these individuals, sovereignty is vested in the people of Iraq, independently from the formal structure of the state.
(External Link) The commonly-accepted meaning of the phrase, however, is the return, by one political agency to another, the exclusive rights to exercise supreme authority over a geographic region and group of people. Regardless, Iraq was set on a direct path to full democratic elections in January and December of 2005.
Interim period
In
November 2003 the coalition announced plans to turn over sovereignty to an
interim Iraqi government by mid-2004. The actual transfer of sovereignty occurred on
June 28 2004. The interim president was
Sheikh Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, and the interim prime minister
Iyad Allawi.
Under the
interim Iraqi constitution, signed March
2004, the country's executive branch is now led by a three-person presidential council. The election system for the council effectively ensures that all three of Iraq's major religious groups are represented. The constitution also includes basic freedoms like
freedom of religion,
speech, and
assembly, and in many ways has been hailed as more liberal than the
U.S. constitution. Controversially, however, it states that all laws that were in effect on the transfer date can't be repealed. Furthermore, since the coalition forces are currently an official occupying power under the
United Nations, Coalition troops can remain in control of the country indefinitely despite the transfer of sovereignty. Since Iraqi forces are currently considered ill-equipped to police and secure the country, it's expected that coalition troops will remain in the country for many years to come.
Part of the proposed system (holding regional caucuses which then elect national leaders) was rejected by
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, which resulted in massive peaceful (though unsuccessful) protests against the proposed systems. Sistani, the most senior Shi'a cleric in Iraq, declared the system as too easy to manipulate to elect an U.S.-friendly government and not representative of the people. However, the process used followed closely the
November 15 2003 agreement established before Sistani's protests. That agreement established the caucuses for the IIG which indeed occurred in June of 2003. The full elections for the Constitutional Committee occurred in January 2005, 2 months before the November 15 agreement's established date of
March 31 2005.
Iraqi National Assembly Election
On
January 30 2005, the Iraqi people chose representatives for the newly-formed 275-member Iraqi National Assembly in legislative elections. Following the ratification of the constitution of Iraq on
October 15 2005, a general election was called for
15 December to elect a permanent 275-member Iraqi National Assembly.
The
unicameral Iraqi parliament, the National Assembly or
Majlis al-Watani, had 250 seats and its members were elected for four-year terms. No Ba'ath candidates were allowed to run.
In November 2003, the US-managed
Coalition Provisional Authority announced plans to turn over sovereignty to an
Iraqi Interim Government by mid-2004. The actual transfer of sovereignty occurred on
28 June 2004. The interim president installed was
Sheikh Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, and the interim prime minister was
Iyad Allawi, a man who had been a
CIA asset according to former U.S. intelligence officials (
New York Times, June 9, 2004).
On
January 30,
2005, a majority of Iraqi voters voted in an election conducted by their transitional government which elected a 275-member Transitional National Assembly. The election was seen by some as a victory for democracy in the
Middle East, but that opinion isn't shared by all, especially as most of the Arab
Sunnis boycotted the vote.
Seymour Hersh has reported that there was an effort by the U.S. government to shift funds and other resources to Allawi and that there may have been similar under-the-table dealings by other parties. Although he didn't get the most seats in the Iraqi Congress, Allawi's delegation jumped from a projected 3-4% of the vote to 14% of the vote, giving him power in the writing of the Constitution.
The Iraqi Assembly would:
Serve as Iraq's national legislature. It has named a Presidency Council, consisting of a President and two Vice Presidents. (By unanimous agreement, the Presidency Council will appoint a Prime Minister and, on his recommendation, cabinet ministers.)
Draft Iraq's new constitution. This constitution was presented to the Iraqi people for their approval in a national referendum in October 2005. Under the new constitution, Iraq would elect a permanent government in December 2005.
Under the Iraqi transitional constitution, signed March 2004, the country's executive branch is now led by a three-person presidential council. The election system for the council effectively ensures that all three of Iraq's major ethnic groups are represented. The constitution also includes basic freedoms like freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, and is perceived by some to be more progressive than the U.S. Constitution.(External Link) Controversially, however, it states that all laws that were in effect on the transfer date can't be repealed. Furthermore, since the coalition forces are currently working to maintain order and create a stable society under the United Nations, coalition troops can remain in control of the country indefinitely despite the transfer of sovereignty. Since Iraqi forces are currently considered not fully trained and equipped to police and secure their country, it's expected that coalition troops will remain until Iraqi forces no longer require their support. However, these rules will be set aside once the Transitional National Assembly is seated.
On 5 April 2005, the Iraqi National Assembly appointed Jalal Talabani, a prominent Kurdish leader, President. It also appointed Adel Abdul Mehdi, a Shiite Arab, and Ghazi al-Yawar, the former Interim President and a Sunni Arab, as Vice Presidents. Ibrahim al-Jaafari a Shiite, whose United Iraq Alliance Party won the largest share of the vote, was appointed the new Prime Minister of Iraq. Most power is vested in him. The new government was faced with two major tasks. The first is to attempt to rein in a violent insurgency, which has blighted the country in recent months, killing many Iraqi civilians and officials as well as a number of U.S. troops. (As of mid-2005, approximately 135,000 American troops remain in Iraq with 2,214 U.S. soldiers killed.) The second major task was to re-engage in the writing of a new Iraqi constitution, as outlined above, to replace the Iraqi transitional constitution of 2004.
After the elections in December 2005, where 76,4% of registered voters participated, the Iraqi government is considered by many international governments to be a legitimate government. According to the U.S. administration, the judiciary in Iraq operates under the primacy of rule of law, so war criminals from the totalitarian regime of Saddam Hussein will get a fair and open trial, in which their rights will be subjected to due process and be protected by the scrutiny of a free press, the requirements of modern court proceedings.
Federal government
Structure
Executive
President heading the Presidency Council
- Vice President
- Vice President
Prime Minister
Legislative
President of National Assembly
- Deputy President
- Deputy President
Judicial
Higher Judicial Council
Independent Associations
Central Bank of Iraq
Iraqi Postal Service
National Office of Endowments
Present executive branch
| President of Iraq || Jalal Talabani || YNK || 7 April 2005
