Suffrage:
formerly 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005); Vice
Presidents Adil ABD AL-MAHDI and Tariq al-HASHIMI (since 22 April
2006); note - the president and vice presidents comprise the
Presidency Council)
head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI (since 20 May
2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH and Salam al-ZUBAI (since
20 May 2006)
cabinet: 37 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus
Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI, and Deputy Prime Ministers Barham
SALIH and Salam al-ZUBAI
elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of
Representatives
Legislative branch:
unicameral Council of Representatives or Mejlis Watani (consisting
of 275 members elected by a closed-list, proportional-representation
system)
elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of
Representatives that will finalize a permanent constitution
election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA; number of seats by party - NA
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court appointed by the Prime Minister, confirmed by the
Presidency Council
Political parties and leaders:
Al-Sadr Movement [Muqtada Al-SADR]; Assyrian Democratic Movement
[Yunadim KANNA]; Conference of Iraqi People [Adnan al-DULAYMI];
Constitutional Monarchy Movement or CMM [Sharif Ali Bin al-HUSAYN];
Da'wa Party [Ibrahim al-JA'FARI]; Independent Iraqi Alliance or IIA
[Falah al-NAQIB]; Iraqi Communist Party [Hamid al-MUSA]; Iraqi
Hizballah [Karim Mahud al-MUHAMMADAWI]; Iraqi Independent Democrats
or IID [Adnan PACHACHI, Mahdi al-HAFIZ]; Iraqi Islamic Party or IIP
[Muhsin Abd al-HAMID, Hajim al-HASSANI]; Iraqi National Accord or
INA [Ayad ALLAWI]; Iraqi National Congress or INC [Ahmad CHALABI];
Iraqi National Council for Dialogue or INCD [Khalaf Ulayan
al-Khalifawi al-DULAYMI]; Iraqi National Unity Movement or INUM
[Ahmad al-KUBAYSI, chairman]; Islamic Action Organization or IAO
[Ayatollah Muhammad al-MUDARRISI]; Jama'at al Fadilah or JAF
[Ayatollah Muhammad Ali al-YAQUBI]; Kurdistan Democratic Party or
KDP [Masud BARZANI]; Muslim Ulama Council or MUC [Harith Sulayman
al-DARI, secretary general]; National Iraqi Front [Salih al-MUTLAQ];
National Reconciliation and Liberation Party [Mishan al-JABBURI];
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK [Jalal TALABANI]; Supreme
Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq or SCIRI [Abd al-Aziz
al-HAKIM]
note: the Kurdistan Alliance, Iraqi National List, Iraqi Consensus
Front, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, and United Iraqi Alliance
were only electoral slates consisting of the representatives from
the various Iraqi political parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: an insurgency against the Iraqi Transitional Government and Coalition forces is primarily concentrated in Baghdad and in areas west and north of the capital; the diverse, multigroup insurgency is led principally by Sunni Arabs whose only common denominator is a shared desire to oust the Coalition and end US influence in Iraq
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS,
NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Samir Shakir al-SUMAYDI
chancery: 1801 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 483-7500
FAX: [1] (202) 462-5066
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Zalmay KHALILZAD
embassy: Baghdad
mailing address: APO AE 09316
telephone: 00-1-240-553-0584 ext. 5340 or 5635; note - Consular
Section
FAX: NA
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with
three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the
white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic
script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the
left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the
Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two
stars but no script, Yemen, which has a plain white band, and that
of Egypt which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white
band; design is based upon the Arab Liberation colors