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Interim National Council

The Iraqi Interim Government (IIG) assumed sovereign authority for governing Iraq on June 28, 2004. The IIG consists of the Presidency of the State (comprised of a President and two Deputy Presidents), a Council of Ministers, including a Prime Minister, an Interim National Council, and the Judicial Authority.

The Annex to the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) called for a National Conference of at least 1,000 people to engage in a genuine national dialogue on the country's challenges and select the Interim National Council - the final portion of the interim governing institutions. The conference had been delayed two weeks at the request of the United Nations, helped organize it. Several influential groups, including Sadr's and a major Sunni organization, said they intend to boycott the meeting, and the organizers wanted more time to convince them to take part. The man in charge of the conference, Fu'ad Masoum, told reporters they have not had much luck, but he downplayed the overall significance of their absence. The National Conference, which convened in late August 2004, brought together Iraqis representing every province in the country, political parties, tribal leaders, trade and professional unions, and universities and religious leaders among many others. Thirteen hundred delegates met at a the national conference in Baghdad to choose their interim national assembly.

The National Council consists of 100 members: 81 members to be elected to the interim National Council, and 19 members previously selected from the now-defunct Governing Council. One-fourth of the delegates were women, as are 25 of the 100 members elected to the Interim National Council. The National Council does not have legislative powers but will be able to veto appointments and decisions made by the Cabinet and prime minister. It may veto executive orders of the IIG by a two-thirds majority of its members.

The new interim national council members were chosen at a national conference in mid-August. The councilors were drawn mainly from the former Iraqi Governing Council and Iraq's largest political parties. The interim council will approve the 2005 Iraqi budget, advise the interim Iraqi president and Council of Ministers, exercise oversight on the Iraqi government, and appoint replacements to the presidency or council, if needed.

While Iraqi officials and political factions selected the 100 members of an interim national council, the USAID mission in Baghdad awarded new grants worth as much as $213 million to aid the new legislature and executive with constitutional drafting, elections, and civic education. Democracy Officers Bruce Abrams and Stephen Brager-detailed to the mission from Colombia and Peru-helped the new Iraqi government work more democratically and effectively.