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Prime Minister of Iraq

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For a list of office-holders, see List of prime ministers of Iraq.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq
رئيس وزراء جمهورية العراق (Arabic)
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Coat of arms of Iraq
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Incumbent
Ali al-Zaidi
since 14 May 2026
Council of Ministers
Executive branch of the
Federal Government of the Republic of Iraq
StyleHis Excellency
TypeHead of government
ResidenceRepublican Palace, Baghdad
SeatAl Zaqura Building
AppointerPresident
Term lengthFour-year term, renewable[1]
Formation11 November 1920
First holderAbd Al-Rahman Al-Gillani
Salary140,000,000 Iraqi dinars/96,552 USD annually[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

The prime minister of the Republic of Iraq is the foremost executive of the Iraqi government and the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces. The premier is responsible for the general policy of the state and directs the Council of Ministers, with the power to dismiss and name any senior executive, including ministers and generals.[3] In addition to the MoD armed forces, the premier has direct authority over all of those intelligence and security agencies under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Prime Minister, such as the CTS and the INIS.

Under the informally adopted ethno-sectarian quota system known as Muhasasa, the position of prime minister is reserved for a Shia Muslim.[4]

On 14 May 2026, Ali al-Zaidi became the incumbent prime minister.

History

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The prime minister was originally[when?] an appointed office, subsidiary to the head of state, and the nominal leader of the Iraqi parliament. Under the 2005 constitution the prime minister is the country's active executive authority. Nouri al-Maliki (formerly Jawad al-Maliki) was selected to be prime minister on 21 April 2006.[5][6] On 14 August 2014, al-Maliki agreed to step down as prime minister of Iraq to allow Haider al-Abadi to take his place.[7] On 25 October 2018, Adil Abdul-Mahdi was sworn into office five months after the 2018 elections until his resignation in 2019.[8] He was once again appointed, this time as a caretaker prime minister due to political dispute.[citation needed] Abdul-Mahdi was replaced by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, who was approved by the parliament on 7 May 2020.[9] Al-Kadhimi was replaced by Al-Sudani after the 2021 Iraqi parliamentary election.

Appointment

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After an election,[citation needed] the Council of Representatives elects the Presidency Council of Iraq, including the president of the Council of Ministers. The Presidency Council must then name a prime minister unanimously within two weeks. If it fails to do so, then the responsibility of naming the prime minister reverts to the Council of Representatives. In that event, the Council of Representatives must confirm the nomination by an absolute majority. If the prime minister is unable to nominate his Council of Ministers within one month, the Presidency Council must name another prime minister.

Agencies directly subordinate

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The Counter Terrorism Bureau, National Intelligence Service, National Security Service, and Popular Mobilization Commission report to the prime minister directly. The Iraqi CTB oversees the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Command, a formation that includes all Iraqi Special Operations Forces. In June 2009, there were ongoing efforts to make the Iraqi CTB a separate ministry.[10]

Seat

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The prime minister's office is located in the Al Zaqura Building in the Green Zone, Baghdad.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Iraqi lawmakers pass law to block Maliki from third term". Reuters. 26 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Names and figures .. salaries of the heads of the world". Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Constitution of Iraq". ConstituteProject. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2024. Article 78: “The Prime Minister is the direct executive authority responsible for the general policy of the State and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He directs the Council of Ministers, presides over its meetings, and has the right to dismiss the Ministers, with the consent of the Council of Representatives.”
  4. ^ Massaab Al-Aloosy (15 November 2022). "With Iraq's Quota System, the New Government is More of the Same". Arab Gulf States Institute. The positions of the presidency, speaker of the parliament, and prime minister "were split up among the three major communities, with the position of president reserved for the Kurds, the position of prime minister (the most powerful in Iraq) for the Shia, and the position of speaker of the parliament for the Sunnis.
  5. ^ Iraq parliament elects new leaders Archived 15 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine CNN, 22 April 2006
  6. ^ Maliki endorsed as new Iraqi PM BBC News, 22 April 2006
  7. ^ "Maliki gives up Iraq PM job to rival". www.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera and agencies. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi sworn in with 14 ministers, so far". Rudaw.net. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Mustafa al-Kadhimi sworn in as prime minister of Iraq". Rudaw. 7 May 2020. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  10. ^ Montrose Toast, Iraqi Counter Terrorism Bureau Archived 26 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, 30 June 2009
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