15.10.2007 - Source: UN Security Council

Cabinet loses 16 ministers; prime minister announces formation of government alliance; new Basra governor ("Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 6 of resolution 1770 (2007) [S/2007/608]") [ID 21930]

"The 40-member Cabinet has now lost 16 ministers and ministers of State. Eight of the 29 Ministers currently serving are not attending cabinet meetings. The Prime Minister has accepted only the Sadrists’ resignations, thereby leaving the status of the remaining ministers uncertain. Other ministers appear to be continuing their duties despite their resignations." (see Section II/A/7)

Following these departures, on 16 August Prime Minister al-Maliki announced the formation of an alliance consisting of his Government’s remaining political parties, including the predominantly Shiite parties of Dawa and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. On 15 September, the movement of Moqtada al-Sadr announced its withdrawal from the United Iraqi Alliance, the majority bloc in Parliament. As a result the Alliance lost 32 of its 113 seats. (see Section II/A/8)

On 28 July, the Prime Minister issued an order to replace Basra Governor Muhammad al-Waeli, a senior member of the Fadhila Party. The order was in response to a letter from the Chairman of the Basra Governorate Council and 27 Council members notifying the Prime Minister of their vote of no confidence in the Governor. The Fadhila Party and the Governor rejected the order and have raised a challenge in the federal Supreme Court. (see Section II/B/14)"

Document(s): Report

01.08.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

Sunni bloc quits Iraq government after suicide blast kills 70 in Baghdad ("Sunni bloc quits govt, bombs kill over 70"), Autor: Reuters Foundation [ID 21556]

Document(s): Open document

26.06.2007 - Source: BBC News

Arrest warrant issued for Iraq's culture minister on terrorism charges ("Warrant issued for Iraqi minister") [ID 20494]

"Police raided Asaad Kamal al-Hashemi's house overnight and arrested at least six of the Sunni politician's guards. The minister has been accused of giving orders for the killing in February 2005 of the two sons of another prominent Sunni politician, Mithal al-Alusi."

Document(s): Open document

06.2007 - Source: Freedom House

Corruption within the Iraqi government ("Freedom in the World 2007") [ID 20735]

"Iraq is plagued by pervasive corruption. In August 2005, a group of 27 former senior officials of Iyad Allawi’s interim government, including former ministers of defense, labor, transportation, electricity, and housing, were indicted in connection with the embezzlement of more than $1 billion from military contract expenditures. According to the head of the Commission for Public Integrity, “Every government department is plagued by some type of corruption and the problem has become endemic countrywide.” Corruption has seriously hampered reconstruction efforts, and it is estimated that 25 percent of donor funds are unaccounted for. Iraq was ranked 160 out of 163 countries surveyed in Transparency International’s 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Corruption within the Oil Ministry has become a serious national security threat. Iraq depends heavily on oil for state revenue, but almost half of the oil money is being funneled to illegal armed groups through smuggling and protection rackets. A member of the National Assembly was indicted in 2006 for stealing millions of dollars allocated to protect a critical pipeline against attack. He was accused of channeling some of that money to the insurgency. Even the inspector general’s office, which oversees all ministries’ activities, is not immune from corruption; several inspectors general of various ministries were fired in 2006. Although the Iraqi government now requires employees to sign codes of conduct and complete financial disclosure forms, there is not full compliance. "

Document(s): Open document

20.08.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Baghdad: IRAQI NATIONAL CONFERENCE 'ELECTS' INTERIM ASSEMBLY ("original document") [ID 9878]

"IRAQI NATIONAL CONFERENCE 'ELECTS' INTERIM ASSEMBLY. Some 1,300 delegates gathered in Baghdad on 15 August for a three-day conference to elect an interim national assembly that will serve until national elections are held in January 2005. The national assembly will be responsible for approving Iraq's 2005 budget, and have the power to veto legislation by a two-thirds majority. It will also be assigned the duty of appointing a new prime minister or president if either of those men resign or die in office. The conference's opening session, however, was quickly overshadowed by the situation in Al-Najaf when members of the Shi'ite Council interrupted the proceedings to protest the standoff in the Shi'ite holy city.

Members from the council stormed out of the opening session and refused to return until their demands were met, council spokesman Muhyi al-Din al-Khatib said, according to Al-Jazeera. The pressing events forced the conference to break just minutes into the opening session, with delegates from the Shi'ite Council demanding the cessation of military operations in Al-Najaf and the opening of a dialogue between all concerned parties. The council also demanded that power be granted to the interim assembly to withdraw confidence from and unseat the government if the government were to harm national interests, and demanded that people who were nominated "without the knowledge of the preparatory committee" be subject to renomination. Council members further demanded the inclusion of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the political process. Al-Sadr refused on several occasions to participate in the conference.

The conference got back on track after delegate Husayn al-Sadr proposed that a delegation travel to Al-Najaf to negotiate with the cleric (see this report). Al-Sharqiyah television reported that several committees had been formed at the end of the first day's meeting: a political committee chaired by Sa'd al-Barazanji; a security committee chaired by Tawfiq al-Yasiri; a reconstruction committee chaired by Salam Sumaysim; and a human rights committee chaired by Ali al-Attar.

Many conference delegates from smaller political parties also voiced objection to the decision to allocate 19 of the 100 seats on the national assembly to members of the former Iraqi Governing Council. Some political parties voiced objection to the mechanism employed for selecting delegates to the conference itself. By 17 August, hundreds of delegates had threatened to walk out of the conference because of the proposed voting procedure: delegates would vote according to lists, not candidates. Moreover, Shi'ite religious parties reportedly demanded that 51 percent of the 100 available seats go to their members, washingtonpost.com reported.

The conference rules reportedly call for delegates from different groups, be they Kurdish, Arab, Islamist or other, to compile lists for the 81 available seats and submit each list to be voted on by delegates. The list gaining a 51 percent majority would be the winning list, with those people on the list assuming seats on the assembly. However, the dissent was reportedly so strong that conference preparatory committee head Fu'ad Ma'sum was forced to put the voting mechanism to a vote. "The mainstream political parties have dominated the conference and have already drawn up their lists for selecting the national council," National Democratic Movement member Aziz al-Yasiri told middle-east-online.com. Meanwhile, a source at the Muslim Scholars Association told "Al-Hayat" that the organization was never actually approached by the preparatory committee or the United Nations about attending the conference, despite media reports to the contrary, the daily reported on 18 August. The organization's spokesman, Muhammad Bashar al-Faydi, said: "We are a voice opposed to the occupation and to those clinging to its heels. The aims of our marginalization are clear." The conference, slated to end on 17 August, was also extended for one day due to the absence of the eight delegates that traveled to Al-Najaf.

In the end, only two lists were submitted to the conference on 18 August. But the divide appeared to worsen when delegates from the Democratic Forum withdrew their list leaving the National Unity List compiled by the five major political parties as the sole list. A planned vote by secret ballot never took place, washingtonpost.com reported on 19 August. "Four cardboard ballot boxes placed on the stage remained unused, and many delegates abandoned the meeting hall to collect their $100 per diem payments instead of participating in a show of hands," the website reported. The delegates apparently did not contest the list, leaving it to be deemed "ratified" by the interim government. "The big government parties...are saying we need a parliament working in harmony with the government. We don't like that. Since when was a parliament working in harmony with a government?" delegate Isma'il Zayir told middle-east-online.com. "These big government parties are sitting in the back rooms, dividing the cake among themselves and then they will go on stage and say 'These are our lists, take it or leave it.' This is undemocratic," he added.

Many delegates following the vote said they were unaware that they would be required to vote for lists rather than individual candidates, latimes.com reported. Delegates also complained that the names on the winning list were a "closely held secret" not revealed until just before the voting was to take place, the website reported. Written lists were not provided to the delegates, who instead had to listen to the 81-name list being read aloud in a noisy auditorium.

However, some conference delegates said that it was a learning process. "They should have accommodated all the opinions, all the views.... They should have been clear and open with the people right from the beginning," former Iraqi Governing Council spokesman Hamid al-Kifai said. "But I am hopeful, because we are on the road to democracy. We can talk to you [journalists] now and we are not frightened to be arrested or killed or tortured. So we are free people.""

Document(s): original document

05.08.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

National conference to elect an interim parliament ("original document") [ID 9879]

"Political parties and politicians who said they won't participate in a plan to name an interim nationwide parliament complain that the process would not be fair.

At the same time, organisers said the national conference originally scheduled for the end of July to elect a 100-member "quasi parliament" from 1,000 delegates was put off for two weeks in an effort to ensure participants represent all of Iraq."

Document(s): original document

28.06.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Focus on handover of power to Iraq ("original document") [ID 9880]

Information on the process, the interim government and security problems.

Document(s): original document

01.04.2004 - Source: UK Home Office

Iraqi Interim Council, Cabinet, Kurdish Regional Government ("original document") [ID 9882]

Document(s): original document