Iraq—Political System
After the current government in Iraq came to power in a coup on 17 July 1968, removing ʿAbdul Rahman ʿArif, another Baʿath Party leader, Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr (1914–1982) became president and Saddam Hussein (b. 1937) vice-chairman. A provisional constitution, adopted on 16 July 1970, concentrated all executive and legislative powers in the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), the chairman of which was also the president of the country. Iraq's political system is divided into three mutually checking branches, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial, but in reality the executive wields complete authority over the legislature and the judiciary.
The Arab Socialist Baʾath (Resurrection) Party is in firm control of Iraq's political system. The government, dominated by the higher echelons of the Baʾath Party, must sanction any formal political activity. Outlawed opposition political movements include Kurdish, Shiʿa, and Communist parties.
The Constitution
After the 1968 takeover, a constitution was drafted on 22 September 1968 and became effective on 16 July1970. Another constitution was drafted in 1990 but has not been adopted. The constitution states that Iraq is "a sovereign people's democratic republic" dedicated to Arab unity and socialism (Metz 1988: 177). Islam is the state religion, but freedom of religion and of religious practices is guaranteed.
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