Iraqi National Assembly - Definition and Overview

The Iraqi National Assembly is the parliament of Iraq. It is a unicameral body.

The Assembly has 275 seats and is located in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

History

The Assembly first formed following the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in Iraq in 1953. Elections were held based on universal manhood sufferage on January 17, 1953. Following controversy over the implementation of the so-called Baghdad Pact Prime Minister Nuri Pasha as-Said called elections the following year, in early 1954. As-Said dissolved the assembly shortly thereafter and began to rule by decree, but opposition forced him to hold a third election within three years. The second 1954 election was very corrupt, with as-Said's political enemies banned from running, and widespread voter coercion. The assembly was suspended yet again, and in 1958 a military coup deposed as-Said and the monarchy, and abolished the Assembly once and for all.

In 1980, Iraq's new military president, Saddam Hussein, brought back the National Assembly. There were no elections, however, with all members being appointed from the ranks of Hussein's own Ba'ath Party. The new Assembly was largely a figurehead that would occasionally rubber stamp the president's decrees.

In 2005, after Hussein was deposed by the United States in the 2003 Iraq War, elections were scheduled for the National Assembly on January 30, 2005. See: Iraqi National Assembly election, 2005.