Iraq Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Republic of Iraq

Type republic; National Front government consisting of Ba'th Party (BPI), weak nationalist parties, and proadministration Kurds

Capital: Baghdad

Political subdivisions: 18 provinces under centrally appointed officials

Legal system: based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system elsewhere; provisional constitution adopted in 1968; judicial review was suspended; legal education at University of Baghdad; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holidays: anniversaries of the 1958 and 1968 revolutions are celebrated 14 July and 17 July; various religious holidays

Branches: Ba'th Party of Iraq has been in power since 1968 coup; unicameral legislature (National Assembly)

Government leaders: Saddam HUSAYN, President (since July 1979); Izzat IBRAHIM, Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (since July 1979)

Suffrage: universal adult

Elections: National Assembly elections held October 1984; Legislative Council for the Autonomous Region held September 1980

Communists: est. 2,000 hardcore members

Political or pressure groups: political parties and activity severely restricted; possibly some opposition to regime from disaffected members of the regime, army officers, and religious and ethnic dissidents

Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, 1DB—Islamic Development Bank, IF AD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, O1C, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding Iraq on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Iraq 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Iraq 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.