The idea of ​​a presidential system in Iraq returns again.. Will the experience of “dictatorship” be

Posted on[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]The idea of ​​a presidential system in Iraq returns again.. Will the experience of “dictatorship” be repeated?[/size]

[size=45]Once again, talk about the presidential system in Iraq has returned and demands for it have been made again, without finding its way to implementation or political agreement on moving towards it, due to its need for a series of legal procedures, perhaps the most prominent of which is making a constitutional amendment, while parties opposed it, considering that adopting it means a new “dictatorship”. In this context, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently called for adopting the presidential system in Iraq, stressing that it is not possible for the country to continue without a firm rule, far from injustice or dictatorship.
Al-Maliki said in press statements this August that “to get rid of these problems, we go to the presidential system.”
He added that “the Kurds have three provinces, in addition to the Sunnis, who also have provinces, and even the Shiites have more than that,” noting that “our relationship is good with our Kurdish brothers, with some differences that are disputed, such as Kirkuk and the disputed areas, and our Sunni brothers have more problems.”
Although Maliki's call to adopt a presidential system in Iraq did not receive much political discussion and debate, it came after demands issued by prominent Iraqi figures in this regard, who criticized the parliamentary system and its failure to establish a modern and strong state after about 21 years of the US occupation of the country and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime.
In April 2023, former Iraqi President Barham Salih called for reforms to the roots and branches of the Iraqi state, considering that the system established after 2003 had reached its "end", and there was a need to amend the constitution to establish a stronger presidential system.
He was preceded by the head of the Iraqi Judicial Council, Faiq Zidan, who described the existing parliamentary system in Iraq as "failed", stressing in a press statement in November 2022 the need to "change it, amend the constitution and move to a presidential system in Iraq."
According to the presidential system, executive authority is in the hands of the president elected by direct universal suffrage, and his tasks include forming a government to implement his political program that is committed to him and not to parliament.
The presidential system in Iraq is formulated on the necessity of strict separation of powers, and the parliament does not have the right to overthrow the government, which in turn is unable to dissolve the Council of Representatives. It is different from the semi-presidential or mixed system, which combines the presidential and parliamentary systems. However, the atmosphere was not suitable for talking about changing the regime in Iraq, especially since the parliamentary election season had not arrived, in order to promote a specific party or political bloc.
Usually, such a proposal is placed in the category of “political blackmail”, especially since the Kurdish parties categorically reject the presidential system, while the Sunni parties oppose a Shiite president who may be supported by Iran.
Even the Shiite parties and armed factions also oppose the presidential system, for reasons related to powers in running the state.
Therefore, maintaining the current Iraqi system is the most appropriate idea for the parties that have shared sovereign positions, ministries and below.
However, the Iraqis have a point of view that supports the idea of ​​a presidential system, in order to prevent the parties from seizing the state and its resources.
In this context, three sources from the Shiite parties reported that “the idea of ​​a presidential system is not being seriously discussed among the Shiite parties, but rather represents the point of view of some politicians, and usually those who raise this idea do not continue to demand it later, and it can be considered within the concept of justification for the failure of governments after 2003 to serve the Iraqis.”
Iraqi demonstrators had previously raised the idea of ​​changing the system to a presidential one, by amending the constitution, specifically during the period of popular protests in 2019 and 2020, but this demand disappeared as a result of the violence that oppressed the protesters, and turned their demands into more realistic ones, including the abolition of provincial councils and holding elections according to a new law. However, a number of activists remained committed to this demand, including the head of the Iraqi National Movement, Laith Shabar, who has no real influence on political decisions in the country.
For his part, the member of the Legal Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, MP Mohammed Anouz, said, “Adopting the presidential system requires political conviction among the parties, and it does not seem that reaching this decision is easy, because the parties have not been able to solve simple problems, including resolving the issue of the Speaker of Parliament, which has been pending for months. So how do you reach a conviction regarding amending or changing the system entirely?”[/size]
[size=45]Anouz explained that “the logic of strength and weakness is what leads the dialogue towards the presidential system, and there are political parties that are perhaps thinking about this system in order to obtain more gains, and in any case, proceeding with it requires amending the constitution.”
For his part, political activist Ali Al-Hajimi pointed out that “the Iraqis, after the great disappointment they were exposed to by the governments after 2003, have begun to seriously think about changing the system, but in reality this ambition is nothing more than dreams that are difficult to achieve, in light of the existence of unlimited weapons that protect the current system.”
He explained that “the presidential system increases the strength of the state and its political stability, but internal rejection by the parties hinders its achievement, not to mention external rejection, as all neighboring countries in addition to the Zionist entity do not want Iraq to be a strong state.”
From: Al-Araby Al-Jadeed[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]