Iraqi Interim Government
Encyclopedia
The Iraqi Interim Government was created by the United States and its coalition allies
Multinational 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...

 as a caretaker government
Caretaker government
Caretaker government is a type of government that rules temporarily. A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government...

 to govern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 until the Iraqi Transitional Government
Iraqi Transitional Government
The Iraqi Transitional Government was the government of Iraq from May 3rd, 2005, when it replaced the Iraqi Interim Government, until May 20th, 2006, when it was replaced by the first permanent government....

was installed following the Iraqi National Assembly election conducted on January 30, 2005. The Iraqi Interim Government itself took the place of the Coalition Provisional Authority
Coalition Provisional Authority
The Coalition Provisional Authority was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, members of the Multi-National Force – Iraq which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003...

 (and the Iraq Interim Governing Council) on June 28, 2004, and was replaced by the Iraqi Transitional Government
Iraqi Transitional Government
The Iraqi Transitional Government was the government of Iraq from May 3rd, 2005, when it replaced the Iraqi Interim Government, until May 20th, 2006, when it was replaced by the first permanent government....

 on May 3, 2005.

Organization

It was recognized by the U.S., the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

, the Arab League
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...

 and several other countries as being the sovereign
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...

 government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

 of Iraq (see Iraqi sovereignty
Iraqi sovereignty
Iraqi sovereignty was interrupted by the multinational forces which overthrew Saddam Hussein in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.On 8 June 2004, the United Nations Security Council resolution 1546 was adopted unanimously, calling for "the end of the occupation and the assumption of full responsibility and...

 for more information). The U.S. retained significant de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...

 power in the country and critics contend that the government existed only at the pleasure of the United States and other coalition countries, whose military forces still remain in Iraq. The coalition did promise that its troops would leave if the new sovereign government requested it, but no such request was made.

The Law and the head of government

The government's head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...

 was Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Iraq
The Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's head of government. Prime Minister was originally an appointed office, subsidiary to the head of state, and the nominal leader of the Iraqi parliament. Under the newly adopted constitution the Prime Minister is to be the country's active executive authority...

 Iyad Allawi
Iyad Allawi
Ayad Allawi is an Iraqi politician, and was the interim Prime Minister of Iraq prior to Iraq's 2005 legislative elections. A prominent Iraqi political activist who lived in exile for almost 30 years, the politically secular Shia Muslim became a member of the Iraq Interim Governing Council, which...

 and his deputy was the influential and charismatic Barham Salih
Barham Salih
Barham Ahmad Salih is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. He is currently the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is married and has a daughter who attended Princeton University and a son who graduated from King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan and currently attends Columbia.-Early life:Dr....

. The ceremonial head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

 was President
President of Iraq
The President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...

 Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer
Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer
Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawar is an Iraqi political figure. He was a Vice President of Iraq under the Iraqi Transitional Government from 2005 to 2006, and was Acting President of Iraq under the Iraqi Interim Government from 2004 to 2005....

. They were all sworn in at a second and more public ceremony on June 28, 2004, shortly after the small private one at which L. Paul Bremer
L. Paul Bremer
Lewis Paul "Jerry" Bremer III is an American diplomat. He is most notable for being the U.S. Administrator to Iraq charged with overseeing the country's occupation after the 2003 invasion. In his role as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, he reported primarily to the U.S. Secretary of...

, the Coalition Provisional Authority's administrator, formally gave chief justice Midhat Mahmoud the legal documents instituting the hand-over.

Absent a permanent constitution, the new government operated under the Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period
Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period
The Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period , was Iraq's provisional constitution following the 2003 Iraq War. It was signed on March 8, 2004 by the Iraqi Governing Council...

.

Allawi was a former member of the Iraq Interim Governing Council and was chosen by the council to be the Interim Prime Minister of Iraq
Prime Minister of Iraq
The Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's head of government. Prime Minister was originally an appointed office, subsidiary to the head of state, and the nominal leader of the Iraqi parliament. Under the newly adopted constitution the Prime Minister is to be the country's active executive authority...

 to govern the country beginning with the United States' handover of sovereignty (June 28, 2004) until national elections, scheduled for early 2005. Although many believe the decision was reached largely on the advice of United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 special envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi
Lakhdar Brahimi
Lakhdar Brahimi is a veteran United Nations envoy and advisor. He retired from his duties at the end of 2005. Brahimi is a member of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, the first global initiative to focus specifically on the link between exclusion, poverty and law...

, the New York Times reported that Brahimi only endorsed him reluctantly after pressure from U.S. officials, including Paul Bremer, the former US Iraqi Administrator. http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/585/585p15.htm Two weeks later, Brahimi announced his resignation, due to "great difficulties and frustration." http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/438248.html. Allawi is often described as a moderate Shia (a member of Iraq's majority faith) chosen for his secular background and ties to the United States. However, his image has been undermined with the media suggesting that Allawi was Washington's puppet (e.g. Newsweek:"Iraq's New S. O. B." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5457368/, NYT: "Dance of the Marionettes" http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/26/opinion/26dowd.html?hp).

Actions of the Interim Government

After his interim government assumed legal custody of Saddam Hussein and re-introduced capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...

, Allawi gave assurances that he would not interfere with the trial and would accept any court decisions. In an interview with Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...

-based TV station al-Arabiya he said: "As for the execution, that is for the court to decide — so long as a decision is reached impartially and fairly." http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040706_164.html

"Precedents" and accusations

In early July, Allawi issued an unprecedented statement claiming that the Iraqi interim government had provided intelligence for the U.S. air strikers with 500 and 1000 pound (220 and 450 kg) bombs on Fallujah in July. http://193.19.159.132/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=2601 Later he announced new security measures, including the right to impose martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...

 and curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...

s, as well as a new counter-terrorist intelligence unit, the General Security Directorate
General Security Directorate
The General Security Directorate was the intelligence agency of Iraq. It was announced by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi at a press conference in July 2004 in a climate of widespread violence by terrorist groups and the Iraqi insurgency...

 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/16/1089694556435.html. Mr Allawi vowed to crush the Iraqi insurgency, saying he would "annihilate those terrorist groups" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3896853.stm.

On July 17, two Australian newspapers, the Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...

 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/16/1089694568757.html?oneclick=true, http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0716-01.htm and The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...

 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/16/1089694560142.html?oneclick=true, published an article alleging that one week before the handover of sovereignty, Allawi himself summarily executed six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station. The allegations are backed up by two independent sources http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2004/s1155990.htm and the execution is said to have taken place in presence of about a dozen Iraqi police, four American security men and Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib. Mr Allawi reportedly said that the execution was to "send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents." Both Allawi's office and Naqib have denied the report. US ambassador John Negroponte
John Negroponte
John Dimitri Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs...

 did not clearly deny the allegations. On 18. July, Iraqi militants offered a $285,000 reward for anyone who could kill Iyad Allawi. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3904151.stm

Allawi's policies

In August, Allawi closed the Iraqi office of al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...

 for thirty days. His minister Hoshiyar Zebari deplored the "one-sided and biased coverage" and declared that the interim government "will not allow some people to hide behind the slogan of freedom of the press and media." Allawi also appointed ex-Baathist and former Saddam intelligence officer Ibrahim Janabi as the head of the Higher Media Commission, a regulator of Iraq's media.http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=17458 The banning of al-Jazeera was widely criticised in the Arab world and the West, for example by Reporters Sans Frontières who called it "a serious blow to press freedom" http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1279412,00.html, http://www.iht.com/articles/533359.htm, but more welcome in Washington, where al-Jazeera is thoroughly disliked.

The negotiations that followed the fighting between Muqtada al-Sadr's
Muqtada al-Sadr
Sayyid Muqtadā al-Ṣadr is an Iraqi Islamic political leader.Along with Ali al-Sistani and Ammar al-Hakim of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, Sadr is one of the most influential religious and political figures in the country not holding any official title in the Iraqi government.-Titles:He is...

 militia
Mahdi Army
The Mahdi Army, also known as the Mahdi Militia or Jaish al-Mahdi , was an Iraqi paramilitary force created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in June 2003....

 and joint US/Iraqi forces in Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...

 ended when Allawi withdrew his emissary Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie on 14 August. An al-Sadr spokesman alleged that they "had agreed with Rubaie on all points but Allawi called him back and he ended the issue." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3565200.stm

Criticism

Allawi has been heavily criticised by members of his own government. Justice minister Malik Dohan al-Hassan
Malik Dohan al-Hassan
Dr Malik Dohan al-Hassan , is an Iraqi politician who was the Minister of Justice in the Iraqi Interim Government from June 2004 to May 2005.-Early life:...

 resigned over the issue of an arrest warrant of Ahmed Chalabi
Ahmed Chalabi
Ahmed Abdel Hadi Chalabi is an Iraqi politician. He was interim oil minister in Iraq in April-May 2005 and December-January 2006 and deputy prime minister from May 2005 until May 2006. Chalabi failed to win a seat in parliament in the December 2005 elections, and when the new Iraqi cabinet was...

. Vice president Ibrahim al-Jafari commented on the attacks against al-Sadr: "War is the worst choice, and it is only used by a bad politician." Another Iraqi official said: "There are brush fires burning out of control all over the place from terrorists and insurgents, and he starts a new bonfire in Najaf." http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5709446/site/newsweek/

While the strategy of "eliminat[ing] Moqtada Sadr's political movement" by "crushing his military power" instead of integrating him into the political process received mostly praise in the West http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3555284.stm,the Arab press levelled harsh criticism of Allawi's handling of the Najaf situation.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3564706.stm

Members of the Interim Government

As appointed on 28 June 2004:
  • President: Ghazi Yawer (Sunni Arab
    Arab
    Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

     tribal leader)
  • Prime Minister: Iyad Allawi
    Iyad Allawi
    Ayad Allawi is an Iraqi politician, and was the interim Prime Minister of Iraq prior to Iraq's 2005 legislative elections. A prominent Iraqi political activist who lived in exile for almost 30 years, the politically secular Shia Muslim became a member of the Iraq Interim Governing Council, which...

     (Iraqi National Accord
    Iraqi National Accord
    The Iraqi National Accord known inside Iraq as Wifaq is an Iraqi political party founded by Iyad Allawi and Salah Omar Al-Ali in 1991. Al-Ali subsequently left the party after he realised the extent of Allawi's links to foreign intelligence agencies, mainly the C.I.A. and MI6.It was founded at the...

    )
  • Vice-President: Ibrahim Jaafari (Islamic Dawa Party
    Islamic Dawa Party
    The Islamic Dawa Party or Islamic Call Party is a political party in Iraq. Dawa and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council are two of the main parties in the religious-Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, which won a plurality of seats in both the provisional January 2005 Iraqi election and the longer-term...

    )
  • Vice-President: Rowsch Shaways
    Rowsch Shaways
    Rowsch Nuri Shaways is a Kurdish politician who first served as Prime Minister of the KDP-controlled part of Kurdistan. After the invasion he served as one of Iraq's two vice presidents in the interim government established in 2004...

     (Kurdistan Democratic Party)
  • Deputy Prime Minister for National Security: Barham Salih
    Barham Salih
    Barham Ahmad Salih is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. He is currently the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is married and has a daughter who attended Princeton University and a son who graduated from King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan and currently attends Columbia.-Early life:Dr....

     (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
    Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
    The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...

    )
  • Foreign Minister: Hoshyar Zebari
    Hoshyar Zebari
    Hoshyar Zebari is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq. A Kurd originally from Aqrah, a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Zebari holds a masters degree in sociology from the University of Essex, England and studied political science in Jordan...

     (Kurdistan Democratic Party)
  • Finance Minister: Adel Abdul Mahdi (SCIRI
    Sciri
    Sciri may refer to:*Scirii, people*SCIRI, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq...

    )
  • Defence Minister: Hazem Shalan al-Khuzaei (Iraqi National Congress
    Iraqi National Congress
    The Iraqi National Congress is an umbrella Iraqi opposition group led by Ahmed Chalabi. It was formed with the aid and direction of the United States government following the Gulf War, for the purpose of fomenting the overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.-History:INC was set up following the...

    )
  • Interior Minister: Falah Hassan al-Naqib
    Falah Hassan al-Naqib
    Falah Hassan al-Naqib is an Iraqi politician and was the Minister of Interior under the Iraqi Interim Government.Born in 1956 in Samarra, he is a Sunni Arab. He was named the governor of Salah ad Din Governorate after the fall of Saddam Hussein...

  • Minister of Oil: Thamir Ghadhban
    Thamir Ghadhban
    Thamir Ghadhban is an Iraqi civil servant and politician. Thamir specialising in the oil industry. After the war in 2003 he became Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Oil , and in mid of the following year he served as Interim Oil Minister in the interim government headed by interim prime...

  • Minister of Justice: Malik Dohan al-Hassan
    Malik Dohan al-Hassan
    Dr Malik Dohan al-Hassan , is an Iraqi politician who was the Minister of Justice in the Iraqi Interim Government from June 2004 to May 2005.-Early life:...

  • Minister of Human Rights: Bakhityar Amin
  • Minister of Electricity: Ayham al-Samarie
    Ayham al-Samarie
    Aiham Alsammarae is a nationalistic, Sunni, Iraqi politician who served as Minister of Electricity from August 2003 until May 2005...

  • Minister of Health: Alaa Abdessaheb al-Alwan
    Alaa Abdessaheb al-Alwan
    Ala Abdessaheb al-Alwan was Minister of Education in the cabinet appointed by the Interim Iraq Governing Council in September 2003, and Minister of Health in the Iraqi Interim Government...

  • Minister of Communication: Mohammed Ali Hakim
  • Minister of Housing: Omar Farouk
  • Minister of Public Works: Nesreen Mustafa Berwari
  • Minister of Science and Technology: Rashad Mandan Omar
    Rashad Mandan Omar
    Rashad Mandan Omar was Minister of Science and Technology in the cabinet appointed by the Interim Iraq Governing Council in September 2003 and in the Iraqi Interim Government....

  • Minister of Planning: Mahdi al-Hafez
    Mahdi al-Hafez
    Mahdi Ahmed al-Hafez was Minister of Planning in the cabinet appointed by the Interim Iraq Governing Council in September 2003 and in the Iraqi Interim Government. A Shia Muslim, al-Hafez was the Iraqi representative to the United Nations from 1978 to 1980; afterwards, he headed the Arab Economic...

  • Minister of Trade: Mohammed al-Joubri
  • Minister of Sport and Youth: Ali Faik al-Ghaban
  • Minister of Transportation: Louei Hatim Sultan al-Aris
  • Minister of Provincial Affairs: Wael Abdel-Latif
  • Minister of Women's Affairs: Narmin Othman
    Narmin Othman
    Narmin Othman is the Iraqi Minister for the Environment in the government of Nouri al-Maliki, a post she also held in the Iraqi Transitional Government...

  • Minister of Immigration and Refugees: Pascal Esho Warda
    Pascal Esho Warda
    Pascal Esho Warda was the Minister of Immigration and Refugees in the Iraqi Interim Government. A Chaldean Catholic and an ethnic Assyrian, she was born in 1961 in the Northern Iraqi city of Dahuk, but later exiled to France. There, she attended the University of Lyon and received her Masters in...

  • Minister of Irrigation: Latif Rashid
    Latif Rashid
    Doctor Abdul Latif Rashid is the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources under the government of Nouri al-Maliki. He previously served as Minister of Water Resources under the Iraqi Transitional Government and as Minister of Irrigation under the Iraqi Interim Government. Dr Rashid was formerly a...

  • Minister of Labour: Leila Abdul-Latif
    Leila Abdul-Latif
    Leila Abdul Latif is an Iraqi politician who was the Minister of Labour in the Iraqi Interim Government from June 2004 to May 2005. A Shiite Arab from the Banu Tamim tribe, she is a member of the Iraqi National Accord led by Interim Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi....

  • Minister of Education: Sami Mudahfar
  • Minister of Higher Education: Tahir Albakaa
    Tahir Albakaa
    Tahir Albakaa is an Iraqi historian who received his Master's degree and Ph.D in Modern History from Baghdad University....

  • Minister of Agriculture: Sawsan Sherif
  • Minister of Culture: Mufid Mohammad Jawad al-Jazairi
    Mufid Mohammad Jawad al-Jazairi
    Mufid Mohammad Jawad al-Jazairi was Minister of Culture in the cabinet appointed by the Interim Iraq Governing Council in September 2003 and in the Iraqi Interim Government. A Shia Muslim and member of the Iraqi Communist Party' central committee, al-Jazairi was a journalist by profession...

  • Minister of Industry: Hajim al-Hassani
    Hajim al-Hassani
    Hajim Mahdi Saleh al-Hassani to a prominent Kirkuki family is an Iraqi politician and was the speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly under the Iraqi Transitional Government...

  • Minister of State: Qassim Dawoud
  • Minister of State: Mamu Farham Othman Pirali
  • Minister of State: Adnan al-Janabi
    Adnan al-Janabi
    Adnan Abd al-Munim al-Janabi is an Iraqi politician, tribal leader and economist who was a Minister of State in the Iraqi Interim Government from June 2004 to January 2005....


External links

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