Elections in Iraq
Encyclopedia
Elections in Iraq gives information on election
and election results in Iraq
.
, with a bicameral legislature consisting of an elected House of Representatives
and an appointed Senate
. The lower house was elected every four years by manhood suffrage
(women did not vote). The first Parliament
met in 1925. Ten general elections were held before the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958. The electoral system, however, was manipulated by the King and his advisors, who were Sunni
Muslims, to ensure that the Shi'a
majority were prevented from taking power.
Between 1958 and 2003
Iaq was ruled by a series of military regimes, all dominated by Iraqi Arabs, particularly after the emergence of the B'ath Party in the early 1960s. Under the regime of Saddam Hussein
, who came to power in 1979, Kurds were persecuted. Furthermore, Arabs who were non-Ba'athist or non-Arab inclined (most notably those of Shi'ite faith) were also persecuted. Saddam's regime was largely run by Arabs from Tikrit
(a mainly Sunni area), his home region. On October 16, 2002, after a well-publicized show election
, Iraqi officials declared that Saddam had been re-elected to another seven-year term as President by a 100% unanimous vote of all 11,445,638 eligible Iraqis, eclipsing the 99.96% received in 1995. The United States and others outside Iraq said the vote lacked any credibility.
invasion of Iraq
in 2003 overthrew Saddam's regime and installed an interim government in which all Iraq's ethnic and religious communities were represented. This government held elections on January 30, 2005 to begin the process of writing a constitution. International groups and the formerly excluded Shi'a and Kurd factions claimed that the January 2005 elections were the first genuinely free elections in Iraq's history, with a fair representation of all ethnic groups. This is in stark contrast to previous elections, including those under the Constitutional Monarchy decades earlier. Opponents of the occupation, such as the insurgents and the Sunni faction, claim that the elections were not genuinely free and fair, pointing to several flaws in the process. The UN adviser to Iraq's election commission, Craig Jenness, said the complaints were not significant; "I don't see anything that would necessitate a rerun...There were nearly 7,000 candidates standing in this election and only 275 seats, so you're always going to have winners and losers and it's normal that the losers won't always be happy about it."http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4555850.stmhttp://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/29/news_pf/Worldandnation/UN_led_team_finds_Ira.shtml
gave its opinion on 13 May 2009 following the request of the Speaker of the Council of Representatives to the Court in its capacity as interpreter of the Constitution
under Article 93(2).
The issue arising was the interpretation of Article 56 of the constitution which states:
First: The electoral term of the Council of Representatives shall be four calendar years, starting with its first session and ending with the conclusion of the fourth year.
Second: The new Council of Representatives shall be elected forty-five days before the conclusion of the preceding electoral term.
The previous election had been on 15 December 2005.
The opening session of the Council of Representatives had been 16 March 2006 (the swearing in session) and the first substantive session of the Council of Representatives was then held on 22 April 2006. The Court was of the opinion that the swearing in session on 16 March 2006 was the "first session" as required by Article 56(First). It therefore followed that the conclusion of the 4th year would be on 15 March 2010 and that the election should be 45 days prior to 15 March 2010, i.e. 30 January 2010.
The court decided that the Calendar year referred to was the 365 day Gregorian year (and not for example the 360 day Hijri year
).
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
and election results in Iraq
Politics of Iraq
The politics of Iraq takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. It is a multi-party system whereby the executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers as the head of government, as well as the President of Iraq, and...
.
History
Under the Iraqi constitution of 1925, Iraq was a constitutional monarchyConstitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, with a bicameral legislature consisting of an elected House of Representatives
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national states. In some countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often called a "senate". In other countries, the House of...
and an appointed Senate
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class...
. The lower house was elected every four years by manhood suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
(women did not vote). The first Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
met in 1925. Ten general elections were held before the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958. The electoral system, however, was manipulated by the King and his advisors, who were Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
Muslims, to ensure that the Shi'a
Shi'a Islam
Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī , meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is...
majority were prevented from taking power.
Between 1958 and 2003
Iaq was ruled by a series of military regimes, all dominated by Iraqi Arabs, particularly after the emergence of the B'ath Party in the early 1960s. Under the regime of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, who came to power in 1979, Kurds were persecuted. Furthermore, Arabs who were non-Ba'athist or non-Arab inclined (most notably those of Shi'ite faith) were also persecuted. Saddam's regime was largely run by Arabs from Tikrit
Tikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
(a mainly Sunni area), his home region. On October 16, 2002, after a well-publicized show election
Show election
A show election, also known as a sham election or rubber stamp election, is an election that is held purely for show, that is, without any significant political purpose...
, Iraqi officials declared that Saddam had been re-elected to another seven-year term as President by a 100% unanimous vote of all 11,445,638 eligible Iraqis, eclipsing the 99.96% received in 1995. The United States and others outside Iraq said the vote lacked any credibility.
Post-2003 invasion
The multinational force'sMultinational force in Iraq
The Multi-National Force – Iraq was a military command, led by the United States, which was responsible for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Multi-National Force – Iraq replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on 15 May 2004, and was later itself reorganized into its successor, United...
invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
in 2003 overthrew Saddam's regime and installed an interim government in which all Iraq's ethnic and religious communities were represented. This government held elections on January 30, 2005 to begin the process of writing a constitution. International groups and the formerly excluded Shi'a and Kurd factions claimed that the January 2005 elections were the first genuinely free elections in Iraq's history, with a fair representation of all ethnic groups. This is in stark contrast to previous elections, including those under the Constitutional Monarchy decades earlier. Opponents of the occupation, such as the insurgents and the Sunni faction, claim that the elections were not genuinely free and fair, pointing to several flaws in the process. The UN adviser to Iraq's election commission, Craig Jenness, said the complaints were not significant; "I don't see anything that would necessitate a rerun...There were nearly 7,000 candidates standing in this election and only 275 seats, so you're always going to have winners and losers and it's normal that the losers won't always be happy about it."http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4555850.stmhttp://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/29/news_pf/Worldandnation/UN_led_team_finds_Ira.shtml
Latest elections
2010 national election
The Federal Supreme CourtSupreme Court of Iraq
The Supreme Court of Iraq is the independent judicial body of Iraq that interprets the constitution and determines the constitutionality of laws and regulations...
gave its opinion on 13 May 2009 following the request of the Speaker of the Council of Representatives to the Court in its capacity as interpreter of the Constitution
Constitution of Iraq
The Constitution of Iraq is Iraq's fundamental law.-History:Iraq's first constitution, which established a constitutional monarchy, entered into force under the auspices of a British military occupation in 1925 and remained in effect until the 1958 revolution established a republic...
under Article 93(2).
The issue arising was the interpretation of Article 56 of the constitution which states:
First: The electoral term of the Council of Representatives shall be four calendar years, starting with its first session and ending with the conclusion of the fourth year.
Second: The new Council of Representatives shall be elected forty-five days before the conclusion of the preceding electoral term.
The previous election had been on 15 December 2005.
The opening session of the Council of Representatives had been 16 March 2006 (the swearing in session) and the first substantive session of the Council of Representatives was then held on 22 April 2006. The Court was of the opinion that the swearing in session on 16 March 2006 was the "first session" as required by Article 56(First). It therefore followed that the conclusion of the 4th year would be on 15 March 2010 and that the election should be 45 days prior to 15 March 2010, i.e. 30 January 2010.
The court decided that the Calendar year referred to was the 365 day Gregorian year (and not for example the 360 day Hijri year
Hijri year
The Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
).
See also
- Assyrian elections in Iraq
- History of IraqHistory of IraqIraq, known in Classical Antiquity as Mesopotamia, was home to some of the oldest civilizations in the world, with a cultural history of over 10,000 years. hence its common epithet, the Cradle of Civilization. Mesopotamia, as part of the larger Fertile Crescent, was a significant part of the...
- Electoral calendar
- Electoral system
- Iraqi Status of Forces Agreement referendum, 2010
External links
- Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission
- Op-Ed by former Iraqi Premier Ayad Allawi on Iraqi electoral reform
- Adam Carr's Election Archive
- UN rules out Iraqi election rerun
- UN-led team finds Iraq election credible
- Iraq's Electoral system is a part of the problem says Regional Expert
- Provincial Elections in Iraq: Blow to Confessionalism (Qantara.de)
- Global Justice Project: Iraq
- Iraq Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit Reports, Maps and Assessments of Iraq from the UN Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit