User:Texture/Sandbox/IraqConst

This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

Following the Iraq War, the occupying forces and the Iraqi Government have proposed a constitution, whereby the people of Iraq will be given more of what they want.

According to the de facto law in Iraq, the Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period should be replaced by a new constitution, which will be presented to the Iraqi people for approval in a general referendum to be held no later than October 15 2005. With this in mind, and the fact that more popularity concerning the Iraq War is needed, the coalition and government decided to put it forward.

After the deadline for its conclusion was extended on four occasions, the text of the proposed constitution was read to the National Assembly on Sunday, 28 August 2005. It describes the state as a "democratic, federal, representative republic" (art. 1) (however, the division of powers is to be deferred until the first parliament convenes), and a "multiethnic, multi-religious and multi-sect country" (art. 3). Article 2 defines Islam as the "the official religion of the state" and "a basic source of legislation".

Only three of the 15 Sunni members of the drafting committee attended the signing ceremony, and none of them signed it. Sunni leaders are generally urging the electorate to reject the constitution in the 15 October referendum. A two-thirds rejection vote in three of the country's 18 provinces (of which four are thought to comprise Sunni majorities) will require the dissolution of the Assembly, fresh elections, and the recommencement of the entire drafting process.

Sections and Articles

• Preamble

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

"Verily we have honored the children of Adam" (Quran 17:70)

We the sons of Mesopotamia, land of the prophets, resting place of the holy imams, the leaders of civilization and the creators of the alphabet, the cradle of arithmetic: on our land, the first law put in place by mankind was written; in our nation, the most noble era of justice in the politics of nations was laid down; on our soil, the followers of the prophet and the saints prayed, the philosophers and the scientists theorized and the writers and poets created.

Recognizing God's right upon us; obeying the call of our nation and our citizens; responding to the call of our religious and national leaders and the insistence of our great religious authorities and our leaders and our reformers, we went by the millions for the first time in our history to the ballot box, men and women, young and old, on Jan. 30, 2005, remembering the pains of the despotic band's sectarian oppression of the majority; inspired by the suffering of Iraq's martyrs — Sunni and Shiite, Arab, Kurd and Turkomen, and the remaining brethren in all communities — inspired by the injustice against the holy cities in the popular uprising and against the marshes and other places; recalling the agonies of the national oppression in the massacres of Halabja, Barzan, Anfal and against the Faili Kurds; inspired by the tragedies of the Turkomen in Bashir and the suffering of the people of the western region, whom the terrorists and their allies sought to take hostage and prevent from participating in the elections and the establishment of a society of peace and brotherhood and cooperation so we can create a new Iraq, Iraq of the future, without sectarianism, racial strife, regionalism, discrimination or isolation.

Terrorism and "takfir" (declaring someone an infidel) did not divert us from moving forward to build a nation of law. Sectarianism and racism did not stop us from marching together to strengthen our national unity, set ways to peacefully transfer power, adopt a manner to fairly distribute wealth and give equal opportunity to all.

We the people of Iraq, newly arisen from our disasters and looking with confidence to the future through a democratic, federal, republican system, are determined — men and women, old and young — to respect the rule of law, reject the policy of aggression, pay attention to women and their rights, the elderly and their cares, the children and their affairs, spread the culture of diversity and defuse terrorism.

We are the people of Iraq, who in all our forms and groupings undertake to establish our union freely and by choice, to learn yesterday's lessons for tomorrow, and to write down this permanent constitution from the high values and ideals of the heavenly messages and the developments of science and human civilization, and to adhere to this constitution, which shall preserve for Iraq its free union of people, land and sovereignty.

(From the Associated Press english language translation.)

• Chapter One: Basic Principles (articles 1 - 13)

  • Establishes Iraq as an independent nation

• Chapter Two: Rights and Freedoms (articles 14 - 45)
  • Part One: Rights (articles 14 - 34)
    • First: Civil and political rights (articles 14 - 21)
    • Second: Economic, social and cultural rights (articles 22 - 34)
  • Part Two: Freedoms (articles 35 - 45)
• Chapter Three: The Federal Authorities (articles 47 - 106)
  • Part One: The Legislative Authority (articles 47 - 63)
    • FIRST: The Council of Representatives (Parliament) (articles 48 - 62)
    • Second: The Council of Union (article 63)
  • Part Two: The Executive Authority (articles 64 - 84)
    • First, The President (articles 65 - 73)
    • Second, The Cabinet (articles 74 - 84)
  • Part Three: The Judiciary (articles 85 - 99)
    • First: The Supreme Judiciary Council (articles 88 - 89)
    • Second: The Supreme Federal Court (articles 90 - 92)
    • Third: General Provisions (articles 93 - 99)
  • Part Four: Independent Associations (articles 100 - 106)
• Chapter Four: Powers of the Federal Authorities (articles 107 - 112)
• Chapter Five: Authorities of the Regions (articles 113 - 116)
  • Part One: Legislative Authorities of the Regions (articles 117 - 119)
  • Part Two: Executive Authorities of the Regions (articles 120 - 129)
    • First: The President of the Region (articles 122 - 124)
    • Second: The Cabinet of the region (articles 125 - 129)
  • Part Three: Judicial Authorities of the Regions (articles 130 - 131)
  • Part Four: Provinces not organized into a Region (articles 132 - 133)
  • Part Five: The Capitol (article 134)
  • Part Six: Local Administrations (article 135)
• Chapter Six: Final and Transitional Guidelines (articles 136 - 153)
  • First: Final Guidelines (articles 136 - 141)
  • Second: Transitional Guidelines (articles 142 - 153)

External links

• Text of the draft Iraqi Constitution (As translated by the Associated Press)
• Bush Caves In To Islamist Constitution For Iraq, by Doug Ireland, August 22, 2005
• Islamic Law Primary in Iraqi Constitution, by Juan Cole, August 21, 2005

Category:Politics of Iraq