Friday, March 29, 2024

News Destination For The Global Indian Community

News Destination For The Global Indian Community

COVER STORY
LifeMag
THE LAND OF IMMENSE POTENTIAL

THE LAND OF IMMENSE POTENTIAL

The Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's head of government. Prime Minister was originally an appointed office, a subsidiary to the head of state, and the nominal leader of the Iraqi parliament. Under the newly adopted constitution, the Prime Minister is to be the country's active executive authority. Nouri al-Maliki (formerly Jawad al-Maliki) was selected to be Prime Minister on 21 April 2006.

The federal government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution as an Islamic, democratic, federal parliamentary republic.[2] The federal government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as numerous independent commissions.

Federalism Law

Article 114 of the Constitution of Iraq provided that no new region may be created before the Iraqi National Assembly has passed a law that provides the procedures for forming the region. A law was passed in October 2006 after an agreement was reached with the Iraqi Accord Front to form the constitutional review committee and to defer implementation of the law for 18 months. Legislators from the Iraqi Accord Front, Sadrist Movement and Islamic Virtue Party all opposed the bill.

Creating a new region

Under the Federalism Law, a region can be created out of one or more existing governorates or two or more existing regions. A governorate can also join an existing region to create a new region. There is no limit to the number of governorates that can form a region, unlike the Transitional Administrative Law of the Iraqi Interim Government which limited it to three.

A new region can be proposed by one-third or more of the council members in each affected governorate plus 500 voters or by one-tenth or more voters in each affected governorate. A referendum must then be held within three months, which requires a simple majority in favor to pass.

In the event of competing proposals, multiple proposals are put to a ballot and the proposal with the most supporters is put to the referendum.

In the event of an affirmative referendum, a Transitional Legislative Assembly is elected for one year, which has the task of writing a constitution for the Region, which is then put to a referendum requiring a simple majority to pass.

The President, Prime Minister and Ministers of the region are elected by a simple majority, in contrast to the Iraqi National Assembly which requires two-thirds support.

Executive branch

The executive branch is composed of the President and the Council of Ministers.

President

Main article: President of Iraq

The President of the Republic is the head of state and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of Representatives by a two-thirds majority and is limited to two four-year terms. The President ratifies treaties and laws passed by the Council of Representatives, issues pardons on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and performs the "duty of the Higher Command of the armed forces for ceremonial and honorary purposes."

There also exists a Vice President which shall assume the office of the President in case of his absence or removal.

Council of Ministers

Main articles: Prime Minister of Iraq and Council of Ministers of Iraq

The Council of Ministers is composed of the Prime Minister as head of government and his cabinet. The President of Iraq names the nominee of the Council of Representatives bloc with the largest number to form the Cabinet. 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, directs the Council of Ministers, and presides over its meetings, and has the right to dismiss the Ministers on the consent of the Council of Representatives.

The cabinet is responsible for overseeing their respective ministries, proposing laws, preparing the budget, negotiating and signing international agreements and treaties, and appointing undersecretaries, ambassadors, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and his assistants, Division Commanders or higher, the Director of the National Intelligence Service, and heads of security institutions.

List of ministries

  • Ministry of Human Rights
  • Ministry of Defense
  • Ministry of Displacement & migration Ministry of Electricity
  • Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Finance
  • Ministry of Justice
  • Ministry of Science & Technology
  • Ministry of Housing & Construction
  • Ministry of Culture
  • Ministry of Communications
  • Ministry of Education
  • Ministry of Industry & Minerals
  • Ministry of Interior
  • Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs
  • Ministry of Oil
  • Ministry of Planning
  • Ministry of Trade
  • Ministry of Municipalities & Public Works
  • Ministry of Transportation
  • Ministry of Water Resources
  • Ministry of Youth & Sports

Legislative branch

The legislative branch is composed of the Council of Representatives and a Federation Council. As of August 2012, the Federation Council had not yet come into existence.

Council of Representatives

Main article: Council of Representatives of Iraq

The Council of Representatives is the main elected body of Iraq. The Constitution defines the "number of members at a ratio of one representative per 100,000 Iraqi persons representing the entire Iraqi people." The members are elected for terms of 4 years.

The council elects the President of Iraq; approves the appointment of the members of the Federal Court of Cassation, the Chief Public Prosecutor,

and the President of Judicial Oversight Commission on proposal by the Higher Juridical Council; and approves the appointment of the Army Chief of Staff, his assistants and those of the rank of division commanders and above, and the director of the intelligence service, on proposal by the Cabinet.

Federation Council

Main article: Federation Council of Iraq

The Federation Council will be composed of representatives from the regions and the governorates that are not organized in a region. The council is to be regulated by law by the Council of Representatives. As of August 2012, the Federation Council had not yet come into existence.

Judicial branch

The federal judiciary is composed of the Higher Judicial Council, the Supreme Court, the Court of Cassation, the Public Prosecution Department, the Judiciary Oversight Commission, and other federal courts that are regulated by law. One such court is the Central Criminal Court.

Higher Judicial Council

Main article: Higher Judicial Council of Iraq

The Higher Judicial Council manages and supervises the affairs of the federal judiciary. It oversees the affairs of the various judicial committees, nominates the Chief Justice and members of the Court of Cassation, the Chief Public Prosecutor, and the Chief Justice of the Judiciary Oversight Commission, and drafts the budget of the judiciary. In 2013, the Council of Representatives passed the Iraqi Federal Court Act, which forbids the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from also being the head of the Judicial Council, and replaced him with the Chief Justice of the Court of Cassation.

Supreme Court

Main article: Supreme Court of Iraq

The Supreme Court is an independent judicial body that interprets the constitution and determines the constitutionality of laws and regulations. It acts as a final court of appeals, settles disputes amongst or between the federal government and the regions and governorates, municipalities, and local administrations, and settles accusations directed against the President, the Prime Minister and the Ministers. It also ratifies the final results of the general elections for the Council of Representatives.

Prime Minister of Iraq calls on President

Mr. Nouri Kamil al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (August 23, 2013).

The President said India cherishes its cordial and friendly relations with Iraq. The two countries have historical ties starting from the great Mesopotamian civilization and thousands of Indians undertake the annual pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines of Najaf and Karbala. With the emergence of democracy in Iraq, relations between the two countries are entering a new phase.

The President said Iraq has become India's second-largest crude oil supplier. This is a mutually beneficial partnership. India desires to elevate the relationship from a buyer-seller into a broad-based one with equity partnerships in oil production, joint ventures in oil exploration, petrochemical complexes, fertilizer plants etc. He said the different MoUs to be signed during Iraqi PM's visit would establish the institutional framework to enhance cooperation between the two countries.

The President said India has been a committed partner in Iraq's progress and development and will remain so as Iraq undertakes its reconstruction and rebuilding efforts. India remains committed to assist Iraq in the process of rebuilding its infrastructure and institutions. Indian entrepreneurs and Indian industries are eager to engage with Iraq.

The Iraqi Prime Minister warmly reciprocated the President's words and said India and Iraq were two friendly countries seeking to strengthen their relations and maintain a high level of contacts. He said India and Iraq complement each other. India needs energy while Iraq needs investment to generate employment. He said India's experience in democracy has been applauded throughout the world and there is much that Iraq can learn from the Indian experience.

Indian PM Speech to welcome Iraq PM

Relations between India and Iraq rest on a strong foundation. Our historically close links of commerce, culture and spiritualism are complemented by a fund of goodwill between our two people. This alone ensures that ours will always remain a close bond. Iraq has long been one of our most important partners in West Asia. As it recovers from recent conflict, it is also emerging as our second largest source of oil, accounting for over 12% of our imports last year. The present visit of Prime Minister Maliki is aimed at imparting new dynamism to our relations and their broad-based development.

Prime Minister Maliki and I have agreed that our energy trading relationship should be turned into a strategic partnership, including through joint ventures in oil exploration, petrochemical complexes and fertilizer plants. The Inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Energy will provide a very strong framework to further diversify our cooperation in this sector and we look forward to concrete progress in the near future.

We also agreed to expand and diversify our economic cooperation, which, as our Joint Commission recently identified, would cover areas such as agriculture, water resource management, pharmaceuticals, health care, information technology, infrastructure, low-cost housing and trade.

Iraq was the largest project export destination for Indian companies before the Gulf War. I underlined to Prime Minister Maliki the strong interest of Indian companies to participate in Iraq's reconstruction efforts and its ambitious plans to expand and upgrade its infrastructure.

India has also been active in the area of capacity building in Iraq, including in higher education and health care. I have reiterated our offer of support for rebuilding and upgrading institutions in Iraq.

Today, we have decided to add a new dimension to this relationship by agreeing to share our expertise and knowledge in the field of agriculture and water management.

Prime Minister Maliki and I also had a productive exchange of views on international developments, especially in West Asia and North Africa. Peace, security and stability in this region are vital to both our countries. As democratic and pluralistic societies, India and Iraq face similar threats from radicalism and terrorism. India believes that a strong, stable, peaceful, united and democratic Iraq is in the interest of regional and global peace and security. We have agreed to hold regular dialogue on these developments through Foreign Office Consultations. We also agreed to further strengthen our counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation.

I look forward to working with Prime Minister Maliki to further expand and deepen our very special bilateral relations.

Iraq PM speech to welcome Indian investment in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki on Saturday urged the Indian private sector to work together with their Iraqi counterparts to help in the reconstruction of the West Asian country, and promised to make available mechanisms for Indian companies to find the investment and business climate secure and conducive to earning profit.

Citing the long relationship between India and Iraq, Maliki, who's in India on a three-day official visit, said Indian companies were extremely committed and would do justice to his country's invitation to them.

Speaking at an interactive session with business leaders at a forum organized by Indian industry bodies, Maliki assured them they would not face any administrative issues.

Opportunities existed in energy, oil exploration and production, refineries, petrochemicals and fertilizers, he said. Iraq is India's second-largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia. India became more dependent on Iraqi oil recently after it cut supplies from the sanctions-hit Iran.

Maliki added Iraq needed a huge number of low-cost houses to compensate for the destruction suffered as a result of the wars it had faced. The American-led war of 2003 saw massive destruction of infrastructure and human life in Iraq, which was followed by widespread insurgency.

There was also an urgent need to invest in electricity. Although the Iraqi government had started to build electricity plants, whatever electricity it was generating was being consumed by rapid development. The Iraq prime minister invited Indian industry to invest and manage electricity plants directly through agreements with his government.

Iraq also needed reconstruction of its airports, railways and harbors', said Maliki. He called upon India to invest in his country's transportation needs. Health and education were other sectors where private investment was invited. He further hoped Indian banks would open branches to facilitate the transfer of finances that were needed for Iraq's reconstruction.

By OECEL Bureau @Dubai

THE LAND OF IMMENSE POTENTIAL

THE LAND OF IMMENSE POTENTIAL

The Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's head of government. Prime Minister was originally an appointed office, a subsidiary to the head of state, and the nominal leader of the Iraqi parliament. Under the newly adopted constitution, the Prime Minister is to be the country's active executive authority. Nouri al-Maliki (formerly Jawad al-Maliki) was selected to be Prime Minister on 21 April 2006.

The federal government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution as an Islamic, democratic, federal parliamentary republic.[2] The federal government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as numerous independent commissions.

Federalism Law

Article 114 of the Constitution of Iraq provided that no new region may be created before the Iraqi National Assembly has passed a law that provides the procedures for forming the region. A law was passed in October 2006 after an agreement was reached with the Iraqi Accord Front to form the constitutional review committee and to defer implementation of the law for 18 months. Legislators from the Iraqi Accord Front, Sadrist Movement and Islamic Virtue Party all opposed the bill.

Creating a new region

Under the Federalism Law, a region can be created out of one or more existing governorates or two or more existing regions. A governorate can also join an existing region to create a new region. There is no limit to the number of governorates that can form a region, unlike the Transitional Administrative Law of the Iraqi Interim Government which limited it to three.

A new region can be proposed by one-third or more of the council members in each affected governorate plus 500 voters or by one-tenth or more voters in each affected governorate. A referendum must then be held within three months, which requires a simple majority in favor to pass.

In the event of competing proposals, multiple proposals are put to a ballot and the proposal with the most supporters is put to the referendum.

In the event of an affirmative referendum, a Transitional Legislative Assembly is elected for one year, which has the task of writing a constitution for the Region, which is then put to a referendum requiring a simple majority to pass.

The President, Prime Minister and Ministers of the region are elected by a simple majority, in contrast to the Iraqi National Assembly which requires two-thirds support.

Executive branch

The executive branch is composed of the President and the Council of Ministers.

President

Main article: President of Iraq

The President of the Republic is the head of state and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of Representatives by a two-thirds majority and is limited to two four-year terms. The President ratifies treaties and laws passed by the Council of Representatives, issues pardons on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and performs the "duty of the Higher Command of the armed forces for ceremonial and honorary purposes."

There also exists a Vice President which shall assume the office of the President in case of his absence or removal.

Council of Ministers

Main articles: Prime Minister of Iraq and Council of Ministers of Iraq

The Council of Ministers is composed of the Prime Minister as head of government and his cabinet. The President of Iraq names the nominee of the Council of Representatives bloc with the largest number to form the Cabinet. 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, directs the Council of Ministers, and presides over its meetings, and has the right to dismiss the Ministers on the consent of the Council of Representatives.

The cabinet is responsible for overseeing their respective ministries, proposing laws, preparing the budget, negotiating and signing international agreements and treaties, and appointing undersecretaries, ambassadors, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and his assistants, Division Commanders or higher, the Director of the National Intelligence Service, and heads of security institutions.

List of ministries

  • Ministry of Human Rights
  • Ministry of Defense
  • Ministry of Displacement & migration Ministry of Electricity
  • Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Finance
  • Ministry of Justice
  • Ministry of Science & Technology
  • Ministry of Housing & Construction
  • Ministry of Culture
  • Ministry of Communications
  • Ministry of Education
  • Ministry of Industry & Minerals
  • Ministry of Interior
  • Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs
  • Ministry of Oil
  • Ministry of Planning
  • Ministry of Trade
  • Ministry of Municipalities & Public Works
  • Ministry of Transportation
  • Ministry of Water Resources
  • Ministry of Youth & Sports

Legislative branch

The legislative branch is composed of the Council of Representatives and a Federation Council. As of August 2012, the Federation Council had not yet come into existence.

Council of Representatives

Main article: Council of Representatives of Iraq

The Council of Representatives is the main elected body of Iraq. The Constitution defines the "number of members at a ratio of one representative per 100,000 Iraqi persons representing the entire Iraqi people." The members are elected for terms of 4 years.

The council elects the President of Iraq; approves the appointment of the members of the Federal Court of Cassation, the Chief Public Prosecutor,

and the President of Judicial Oversight Commission on proposal by the Higher Juridical Council; and approves the appointment of the Army Chief of Staff, his assistants and those of the rank of division commanders and above, and the director of the intelligence service, on proposal by the Cabinet.

Federation Council

Main article: Federation Council of Iraq

The Federation Council will be composed of representatives from the regions and the governorates that are not organized in a region. The council is to be regulated by law by the Council of Representatives. As of August 2012, the Federation Council had not yet come into existence.

Judicial branch

The federal judiciary is composed of the Higher Judicial Council, the Supreme Court, the Court of Cassation, the Public Prosecution Department, the Judiciary Oversight Commission, and other federal courts that are regulated by law. One such court is the Central Criminal Court.

Higher Judicial Council

Main article: Higher Judicial Council of Iraq

The Higher Judicial Council manages and supervises the affairs of the federal judiciary. It oversees the affairs of the various judicial committees, nominates the Chief Justice and members of the Court of Cassation, the Chief Public Prosecutor, and the Chief Justice of the Judiciary Oversight Commission, and drafts the budget of the judiciary. In 2013, the Council of Representatives passed the Iraqi Federal Court Act, which forbids the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from also being the head of the Judicial Council, and replaced him with the Chief Justice of the Court of Cassation.

Supreme Court

Main article: Supreme Court of Iraq

The Supreme Court is an independent judicial body that interprets the constitution and determines the constitutionality of laws and regulations. It acts as a final court of appeals, settles disputes amongst or between the federal government and the regions and governorates, municipalities, and local administrations, and settles accusations directed against the President, the Prime Minister and the Ministers. It also ratifies the final results of the general elections for the Council of Representatives.

Prime Minister of Iraq calls on President

Mr. Nouri Kamil al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (August 23, 2013).

The President said India cherishes its cordial and friendly relations with Iraq. The two countries have historical ties starting from the great Mesopotamian civilization and thousands of Indians undertake the annual pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines of Najaf and Karbala. With the emergence of democracy in Iraq, relations between the two countries are entering a new phase.

The President said Iraq has become India's second-largest crude oil supplier. This is a mutually beneficial partnership. India desires to elevate the relationship from a buyer-seller into a broad-based one with equity partnerships in oil production, joint ventures in oil exploration, petrochemical complexes, fertilizer plants etc. He said the different MoUs to be signed during Iraqi PM's visit would establish the institutional framework to enhance cooperation between the two countries.

The President said India has been a committed partner in Iraq's progress and development and will remain so as Iraq undertakes its reconstruction and rebuilding efforts. India remains committed to assist Iraq in the process of rebuilding its infrastructure and institutions. Indian entrepreneurs and Indian industries are eager to engage with Iraq.

The Iraqi Prime Minister warmly reciprocated the President's words and said India and Iraq were two friendly countries seeking to strengthen their relations and maintain a high level of contacts. He said India and Iraq complement each other. India needs energy while Iraq needs investment to generate employment. He said India's experience in democracy has been applauded throughout the world and there is much that Iraq can learn from the Indian experience.

Indian PM Speech to welcome Iraq PM

Relations between India and Iraq rest on a strong foundation. Our historically close links of commerce, culture and spiritualism are complemented by a fund of goodwill between our two people. This alone ensures that ours will always remain a close bond. Iraq has long been one of our most important partners in West Asia. As it recovers from recent conflict, it is also emerging as our second largest source of oil, accounting for over 12% of our imports last year. The present visit of Prime Minister Maliki is aimed at imparting new dynamism to our relations and their broad-based development.

Prime Minister Maliki and I have agreed that our energy trading relationship should be turned into a strategic partnership, including through joint ventures in oil exploration, petrochemical complexes and fertilizer plants. The Inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Energy will provide a very strong framework to further diversify our cooperation in this sector and we look forward to concrete progress in the near future.

We also agreed to expand and diversify our economic cooperation, which, as our Joint Commission recently identified, would cover areas such as agriculture, water resource management, pharmaceuticals, health care, information technology, infrastructure, low-cost housing and trade.

Iraq was the largest project export destination for Indian companies before the Gulf War. I underlined to Prime Minister Maliki the strong interest of Indian companies to participate in Iraq's reconstruction efforts and its ambitious plans to expand and upgrade its infrastructure.

India has also been active in the area of capacity building in Iraq, including in higher education and health care. I have reiterated our offer of support for rebuilding and upgrading institutions in Iraq.

Today, we have decided to add a new dimension to this relationship by agreeing to share our expertise and knowledge in the field of agriculture and water management.

Prime Minister Maliki and I also had a productive exchange of views on international developments, especially in West Asia and North Africa. Peace, security and stability in this region are vital to both our countries. As democratic and pluralistic societies, India and Iraq face similar threats from radicalism and terrorism. India believes that a strong, stable, peaceful, united and democratic Iraq is in the interest of regional and global peace and security. We have agreed to hold regular dialogue on these developments through Foreign Office Consultations. We also agreed to further strengthen our counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation.

I look forward to working with Prime Minister Maliki to further expand and deepen our very special bilateral relations.

Iraq PM speech to welcome Indian investment in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki on Saturday urged the Indian private sector to work together with their Iraqi counterparts to help in the reconstruction of the West Asian country, and promised to make available mechanisms for Indian companies to find the investment and business climate secure and conducive to earning profit.

Citing the long relationship between India and Iraq, Maliki, who's in India on a three-day official visit, said Indian companies were extremely committed and would do justice to his country's invitation to them.

Speaking at an interactive session with business leaders at a forum organized by Indian industry bodies, Maliki assured them they would not face any administrative issues.

Opportunities existed in energy, oil exploration and production, refineries, petrochemicals and fertilizers, he said. Iraq is India's second-largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia. India became more dependent on Iraqi oil recently after it cut supplies from the sanctions-hit Iran.

Maliki added Iraq needed a huge number of low-cost houses to compensate for the destruction suffered as a result of the wars it had faced. The American-led war of 2003 saw massive destruction of infrastructure and human life in Iraq, which was followed by widespread insurgency.

There was also an urgent need to invest in electricity. Although the Iraqi government had started to build electricity plants, whatever electricity it was generating was being consumed by rapid development. The Iraq prime minister invited Indian industry to invest and manage electricity plants directly through agreements with his government.

Iraq also needed reconstruction of its airports, railways and harbors', said Maliki. He called upon India to invest in his country's transportation needs. Health and education were other sectors where private investment was invited. He further hoped Indian banks would open branches to facilitate the transfer of finances that were needed for Iraq's reconstruction.

By OECEL Bureau @Dubai

Leave a comment

Comments (0)

Related Articles

Opinion Express TV

Shapoorji Pallonji

SUNGROW

GOVNEXT INDIA FOUNDATION

CAMBIUM NETWORKS TECHNOLOGY

Opinion Express Magazine