Politics in Iraq

In the post-Saddam Hussein era, politics in the Republic of Iraq is complicated, to say the least.

The prime minister is Nouri al-Maliki, who assumed the post in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010. He is a Shiite Muslim who heads the Islamic Dawa Party. Because he came to power under the U.S. occupation, al-Maliki has had to contend with accusations that he is only a puppet of the U.S., but he can point to legitimate improvements in security during his first term, as the Iraqi army slowly assumed responsibility from the Americans.

Another key figure in Iraqi politics is the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, who recently returned to Iraq after three years studying in Iran. Al-Sadr led a bloody resistance to U.S. occupation from 2004 to 2008, and his followers also carried out vigilante executions of Sunni Muslims. After losing a major battle to U.S. and Iraqi Army forces in 2008, the Sadrists turned to the ballot rather than the bullet. In exchange for helping al-Maliki win reelection, their party gained government posts and control over one of Iraq's provinces. That was with al-Sadr out of the country, however, and there is now widespread speculation that he has returned in order to challenge al-Maliki's Dawa Party for control of Iraq, democratically or otherwise.

Iraq also has a president, though the position is much less powerful than that of the prime minister. The current president is Jalal Talabani, a Kurd and a lifelong advocate for Kurdish rights. His vice presidents are Tariq Al-Hashimi, a Sunni Arab, and Adil Abdul-Mahdi, a Shia Arab. This balanced executive branch is designed to give each of the country's major groups political representation.

The first elections after Saddam took place in January 2005, and produced iconic images of Iraqis proudly displaying their fingers stained with purple ink, a measure to prevent double voting. Away from the cameras, however, dozens of people were killed that day in sectarian violence across the country. Also, since most Sunnis boycotted the election, its results were not entirely representative of the Iraqi population. Another election held in December 2005 had a much higher turnout. In an encouraging sign, an insurgent group that had previously attacked voters at the polls now volunteered to guard them.

The parliamentary elections in 2010 did not yield widespread violence, demonstrating that security in the country has gotten much stronger. However, accusations of corruption were made, and candidates with any ties to Saddam's Baath Party were banned from running. But, keeping in mind that democracy in Iraq is only six years old, this can be considered a good start.