The
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
has established a committee to consider a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Iraq.
Current constitution
The current
Constitution of Iraq
The Constitution of the Republic of Iraq ( ar, دستور جمهورية العراق Kurdish: دەستووری عێراق) is the fundamental law of Iraq. The first constitution came into force in 1925. The current constitution was adopted on Se ...
was drafted by a
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
of the
Iraqi Transitional Government
The Iraqi Transitional Government was the government of Iraq from May 3, 2005, when it replaced the Iraqi Interim Government, until May 20, 2006, when it was replaced by a permanent government.
On April 28 it was approved by the transitional Ira ...
. The agreed text was put to a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
in October 2005. It was approved by 79% of voters and 15 out of 18
governorates
A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...
.
Agreement to consider amendments
In an agreement prior to the referendum, the largest
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
majority party, the
Iraqi Islamic Party
The Iraqi Islamic Party is the largest Sunni Islamist political party in Iraq as well as the most prominent member of the Iraqi Accord Front political coalition. It was part of the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and is part of the ...
agreed to support a "Yes" vote as long as the first
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
elected under the constitution agreed to consider amendments. This agreement was written into Article 142 of the constitution.
Procedure
Article 142 of the constitution states that the Council of Representatives shall form a committee from its members "representing the principal components of the Iraqi society", which should present proposed amendments to the Council within four months. The amendment package shall be voted on as a whole by the Council, and if it is passed, put to a referendum, which shall pass if approved by a majority of voters and is not rejected by a two-thirds majority in three or more governorates. The conditions for this referendum are the same as the conditions for the original ratification referendum.
The constitution can also be amended by a general procedure, laid down in Article 126, which requires a two-thirds approval in the Council of Ministers, followed by approval by a simple majority in a referendum.
Committee appointment
The committee of 27 was appointed on 2006-09-25, chaired by
Iraqi Accord Front
The Iraqi Accord Front or Iraqi Accordance Front (Arabic: جبهة التوافق العراقية ''Jabhet Al-Tawafuq Al-'Iraqiyah'') also known as Tawafuq is an Iraqi Sunni political coalition created on October 26, 2005 by the Iraqi Islamic Par ...
member
Ayad al-Samarrai. The committee comprised 27 members drawn from senior politicians across the political spectrum in rough proportions to the
Council of Representatives of Iraq
The Council of Representatives ( ar, مجلس النواب, Majlis an-Nuwwāb al-ʿIrāqiyy; ku, ئهنجومهنی نوێنهران, ''Enjumen-e Nûnerên''), usually referred to simply as the Parliament is the unicameral legislature o ...
that was elected in the
Iraqi legislative election of December 2005
Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 15 December 2005, following the approval of a new constitution in a referendum of 15 October.
Electoral system
The elections took place under a list system, whereby voters chose from a list of parti ...
:
*
United Iraqi Alliance
The National Iraqi Alliance (NIA or INA; ar, الائتلاف الوطني العراقي; transliterated: al-Itilaf al-Watani al-Iraqi), also known as the Watani List, is an Iraqi electoral coalition that contested the 2010 Iraqi legislative ...
(
Shiite
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...
): 12
**
SCIRI
The Sciri, or Scirians, were a Germanic people. They are believed to have spoken an East Germanic language. Their name probably means "the pure ones".
The Sciri were mentioned already in the late 3rd century BC as participants in a raid on the ...
and allies:
***Shaykh
Hummam Hamudi
***Shaykh
Jalal al-Din al-Saghir
***
Abd al-Karim al-Naqib (
Badr Organization)
***
Abbas al-Bayati
Natik Abbas Hasan al-Bayati is an Iraqi Shiite Turkmen politician and a member of the Iraqi National Assembly. He is a member of the State of Law Coalition.
He was exiled from Iraq under Saddam Hussein and became the Secretary General of the I ...
(
Islamic Union of Iraqi Turkoman
The Islamic Union of Iraqi Turkoman (or Turkoman Islamic Union, ar, الاتحاد الإسلامي لتركمان العراق) is a political party in Iraq led by Abbas al-Bayati. It was formed in 1991 and participated in discussions with other ...
)
**
Islamic Dawa Party - Iraq Organisation
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
***
Ali al-Allaq
***
Abd al-Karim al-'Anzi
**
Islamic Dawa Party
The Islamic Dawa Party, also known as the Islamic Call Party ( ar, حزب الدعوة الإسلامية, Ḥizb ad-Daʿwa al-Islāmiyya), is an Shia Islamist political party in Iraq. Dawa and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council are two of th ...
***
Sami al-'Askari
**
Islamic Virtue Party
Islamic Virtue Party (in Arabic حزب الفضيلة الإسلامي العراقي, transliterated as Ḥizb al-Faḍīla al-Islāmiyya al-ʿIrāqi or just Al-Faḍīla Party) is an Iraqi political party.
After the 2003 Iraq War, the Hizb al- ...
***
Ammar Tuma
***
Hassan al-Shammari
**independent
***
Qasim Dawud
**unknown
***
Najiha Abd al-Amir
***
Jabir Habib Jabir
*
Kurdistani Alliance
The Kurdistan List ( ku, ليست كوردستان Lîstî Kurdistani), also known as the Kurdistan Alliance or the Brotherhood List, is the name of the electoral coalition that ran in the Kurdistan Regional Government parliamentary elections in ...
(
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
): 5
**
Fu'ad Ma'sum
**
Sa'd al-Barzanji
**
Feryad Rawandazi
**
Abdallah Salih
**
Ahmad Anwar Muhammad
*
Iraqi Accord Front
The Iraqi Accord Front or Iraqi Accordance Front (Arabic: جبهة التوافق العراقية ''Jabhet Al-Tawafuq Al-'Iraqiyah'') also known as Tawafuq is an Iraqi Sunni political coalition created on October 26, 2005 by the Iraqi Islamic Par ...
(
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
): 4
**
Iyad al-Samarra'i
**
Hussein al-Falluji
**
Salim al-Jabburi
**
Izz al-Din al-Dawlah
*
Iraqi National List
The Iraqi National List ( ar, القائمة العراقية الوطنية) was a coalition of Iraqi political parties who ran in the December 2005 Iraqi elections and got 8.0% of the vote and 25 out of 275 seats.
History
Prior to the December ...
(secular): 2
**
Aliya Nassif Osairan
**
Hamid Majid Musa
*
Iraqi National Dialogue Front
The Iraqi Front for National Dialogue (Arabic: الجبهة العراقية للحوار الوطني ''al-Jabha al-Iraqia li al-Hiwar al-Watani'') also known as Hiwar is a Sunni Arab-led Iraqi political party.
Originally formed to contest th ...
: 1
**
Muhammad Ali Tamim
In addition the representatives of the
Turkmen,
Mandaeans
Mandaeans ( ar, المندائيون ), also known as Mandaean Sabians ( ) or simply as Sabians ( ), are an ethnoreligious group who are followers of Mandaeism. They believe that John the Baptist was the final and most important prophet. They ...
and
Yazidi
Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The majo ...
s were invited to nominate a member each to join the committee
The
Iraqi National Dialogue Front
The Iraqi Front for National Dialogue (Arabic: الجبهة العراقية للحوار الوطني ''al-Jabha al-Iraqia li al-Hiwar al-Watani'') also known as Hiwar is a Sunni Arab-led Iraqi political party.
Originally formed to contest th ...
have rejected the deal that lead to the formation of the committee and have refused to participate.
Amendments proposed
Seven areas have been identified as areas where one or more of the political forces in Iraq would like to change:
[Intractable positions on the constitution]
, ''Niqash'', 2007-09-23, accessed on 2007-10-02
# The ability of constitutional changes to be vetoed by three out of the 19 governorates
# Iraq's Arab identity
# The shape of the federal system
# The status of
Kirkuk
Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
# The split of oil revenues between national and regional governments
# The role of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
#
De-Baathification
De-Ba'athification () refers to a policy undertaken in Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and subsequent Iraqi governments to remove the Ba'ath Party's influence in the new Iraqi political system after the U.S.-led invasion ...
Positions
The main proposed amendments have come from the Sunni Arab majority parties who want to make it more difficult to establish an oil-rich Shiite "super-region" in the south of Iraq
However,
SCIRI
The Sciri, or Scirians, were a Germanic people. They are believed to have spoken an East Germanic language. Their name probably means "the pure ones".
The Sciri were mentioned already in the late 3rd century BC as participants in a raid on the ...
has insisted that "essence" of the constitution should be maintained and has pushed for the creation of a Shiite Region covering the nine southern
governorates
A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...
. On March 16
Abdul Aziz al-Hakim
Ayatollah Abdul Aziz al-Hakim ( ; ar, سید عبد العزيز الحكيم; 1952 – 26 August 2009) was an Iraqi theologian and politician and the leader of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a party that has approximately 5% support in the ...
, the leader of
SCIRI
The Sciri, or Scirians, were a Germanic people. They are believed to have spoken an East Germanic language. Their name probably means "the pure ones".
The Sciri were mentioned already in the late 3rd century BC as participants in a raid on the ...
proposed a compromise whereby two Regions are created - one in the far South near
Basra
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...
and one for the middle Euphrates region. The
Islamic Virtue Party
Islamic Virtue Party (in Arabic حزب الفضيلة الإسلامي العراقي, transliterated as Ḥizb al-Faḍīla al-Islāmiyya al-ʿIrāqi or just Al-Faḍīla Party) is an Iraqi political party.
After the 2003 Iraq War, the Hizb al- ...
governor of
Basra
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...
has expressed support for a Region covering
Basrah
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is ha ...
and its only its two neighbouring governorates of
Maysan
, image_map = Maysan in Iraq.svg
, mapsize = 200px
, settlement_type = Governorate
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_t ...
and
Dhiqar. The
Sadrist Movement
The Sadrist Movement ( ar, التيار الصدري ') is an Iraqi Islamic national movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr. The movement draws wide support from across Iraqi society and especially from the Shi'a poor in the country. The most important ...
supports a stronger central government, saying that federalism should not be applied to the south "while Iraq is still under occupation".
The National Dialogue Front has asked that the
de-Baathification
De-Ba'athification () refers to a policy undertaken in Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and subsequent Iraqi governments to remove the Ba'ath Party's influence in the new Iraqi political system after the U.S.-led invasion ...
provisions be reworded to "''be fair to those that have suffered under this article''".
Some
Shiite leaders had proposed changing the country's official name to the
Islamic Republic of Iraq, a move opposed by Iraq's secularists.
Iraq Study Group
The
Iraq Study Group
The Iraq Study Group (ISG) also known as the Baker-Hamilton Commission was a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006, by the United States Congress, that was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War and ...
of senior American politicians recommended that the constitution be amended as follows:
* Oil revenue should accrue wholly to the central government and not split with the regions
* The referendum on
Kirkuk
Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
joining the
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also incl ...
region should be delayed
Kurdistani Alliance
The
Kurdistani Alliance
The Kurdistan List ( ku, ليست كوردستان Lîstî Kurdistani), also known as the Kurdistan Alliance or the Brotherhood List, is the name of the electoral coalition that ran in the Kurdistan Regional Government parliamentary elections in ...
submitted a working paper in April 2007 with the following proposed changes:
*Iraq to be renamed the "Federal Republic of Iraq"
*
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also incl ...
to have its own representative at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Iraqi Accord Front
The Iraqi Accord Front was reported in July 2007 of seeking the following changes:
Sectarian disputes delay constitution
''Gulf News'', 2007-07-09, accessed on 2007-07-09
* Whilst now accepting the establishment of new Regions of Iraq
Iraq consists of 19 governorates ( ar, محافظة, muḥāfażah; ckb, پارێزگا , parêzgeh), also known as "provinces". Per the Iraqi constitution, governorates can form an autonomous region. Four governorates, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah ...
, it wants the powers of these to be limited
* Deleting references to the religious Hawza
A hawza ( ar, حوزة) or ḥawzah ʿilmīyah ( ar, حوزة علمیة) is a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated.
The word ''ḥawzah'' is found in Arabic as well as the Persian language. In Arabic, the word means "to hold so ...
of Najaf
Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...
* Remove the de-Baathification
De-Ba'athification () refers to a policy undertaken in Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and subsequent Iraqi governments to remove the Ba'ath Party's influence in the new Iraqi political system after the U.S.-led invasion ...
clauses
* Bringing existing as well as future crude oil
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...
fields into the law on oil
* Postponing the Kirkuk status referendum
The Kirkuk status referendum was the Kirkuk part of a planned plebiscite to decide whether the disputed territories of Northern Iraq should become part of the Kurdistan Region. The referendum was initially planned for 15 November 2007, but wa ...
References
{{reflist
External links
The Iraqi Council of Representatives
Global Justice Project: Iraq
Constitution of Iraq