Politics

Iraq’s constitution creates a framework for a parliamentary democracy. Its head of state is the President and the head of government is the Prime Minister. There are two deliberative bodies: The Council of Representatives (Majlis al-Nawwāb) and the Council of Union (Majlis al-Ittiḥād). The judiciary is free and independent of the executive and the legislature.

The president, nominated by the Council of Representatives and limited to two four-year terms, presides over state ceremonies, receives ambassadors, endorses treaties and laws, and awards medals and honors. The president also calls upon the leading party in legislative elections to form the executive government, consisting of the Prime Minister and the cabinet, with approval from the Council of Representatives.

The Council of Representatives consists of one representative for every 100,000 citizens, who serves four-year terms. The Council enacts federal laws, monitors the performance of the Prime Minister and the President, ratifies foreign treaties, approves governemnt authority, declares war, etc.

The current President is Jalal Talabani and the current Prime Minister is Nouri al-Maliki

Local government

Iraq is divided for administrative purposes into 18 muḥāfaẓāt (governorates), 3 of which constitute the Kurdish Autonomous Region. Each governorate has a governor, or muḥāfiẓ, appointed by the president. The governorates are divided into 91 aqḍiyyah (districts), headed by district officers, and each district is divided into nāḥiyāt (tracts), headed by directors.

Justice

The Supreme Judicial Council nominates the justices of the Supreme Court, the national prosecutor, and other high judicial officials for approval by the Council of Representatives. Members of the Supreme Court are required to be experts in civil law and Muslim canon law and are appointed by two-thirds majority of the legislature.

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