Vice President of Iraq facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vice President of the Republic of Iraq
Official emblem
Incumbent Vacant since 2 October 2018
Style	His Excellency
Appointer	Parliamentary vote on the names submitted by the President
Term length	Four years
Formation	14 July 1958 10 October 2016 (restored)
Salary	122,400 USD annually

In Iraq, the role of Vice President is an important position. Sometimes, Iraq has had three Vice Presidents serving at the same time! This job was usually seen as a very respected position, even if it didn't always have a lot of power.

What is a Vice President in Iraq?

After a big war in Iraq, the country's new rulebook, called the Constitution of Iraq, created a special group. This group was called the Presidency Council. It included the president of Iraq and two Vice Presidents. These three people had to work together and agree on things.

Why Three Vice Presidents?

The idea behind having three members in the Presidency Council was to represent the main groups in Iraq. These groups are:

• Sunni Muslim Arabs
• Shiite Muslim Arabs
• Mostly Sunni Kurds

By having leaders from each group, the Presidency Council was meant to show that the whole country was united. This setup was planned to continue until the Council of Representatives (Iraq's parliament) started its second set of meetings. After that, the plan was to have just one President and one Vice President. The parliament is always the one that chooses who gets these important jobs.

Ups and Downs of the Position

In September 2014, three new Vice Presidents were chosen. They were Nouri al-Maliki, Ayad Allawi, and Osama al-Nujaifi. These people had all been important leaders before.

However, in August 2015, the government decided to get rid of the Vice President jobs. But this decision caused some disagreement. Some of the former Vice Presidents, like Osama al-Nujaifi and Nuri al-Maliki, didn't agree with this change.

Then, in October 2016, Iraq's highest court, the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq, said that getting rid of the jobs was against the constitution. So, the Vice President positions were brought back!

Even though the jobs were brought back, the three Vice President offices have been empty since October 2, 2018.

Who Has Been Vice President?

Many different people have served as Vice President in Iraq throughout its history.

Vice Presidents Before 2003

During the time of the Ba'athist government led by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Saddam Hussein, there were also Vice Presidents. However, their role was not as powerful as other leaders in the government. The President decided who would be Vice President.

Picture		Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party	President	Notes
			Started	Ended	How long
→ • Iraqi Republic (before Ba'ath Party) (1958–1968) • →
		Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr أحمد حسن البكر (1914–1982)	18 November 1963	4 January 1964	47 days	Iraqi Ba'ath Party (Iraq Region)	Abdul Salam Arif
→ • Iraqi Republic (under Ba'ath Party) (1968–2003) • →
		Saddam Hussein صدام حسين (1937–2006)	17 July 1968	15 July 1979	10 years	Iraqi Ba'ath Party (Iraq Region)	Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr
		Hardan al-Tikriti حردان عبدالغفار التكريتي (1925–1971)	3 April 1970	15 October 1970	6 months	Iraqi Ba'ath Party (Iraq Region)
		Salih Mahdi Ammash صالح مهدي عماش (1924–1985)	3 April 1970	December 1971	1 year, 7 months	Iraqi Ba'ath Party (Iraq Region)
		Taha Muhie-eldin Marouf طه محيي الدين معروف (1929–2009)	April 1974	April 2003	29 years	Iraqi Ba'ath Party (Iraq Region)	Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr Saddam Hussein
		Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri عزة إبراهيم الدوري (1942–2020)	16 July 1979	9 April 2003	23 years, 267 days	Iraqi Ba'ath Party (Iraq Region)	Saddam Hussein
		Taha Yassin Ramadan طه ياسين رمضان الجزراوي‎ (1938–2007)	March 1991	9 April 2003	12 years, 39 days	Iraqi Ba'ath Party (Iraq Region)

Vice Presidents Since 2004

After 2003, Iraq became a republic again. New Vice Presidents were appointed under the new government.

Picture		Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party	President	Notes
			Started	Ended	How long
		Ibrahim al-Jaafari إبراهيم الجعفري (born 1947)	1 June 2004	7 April 2005	310 days	Islamic Dawa Party	Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer
		Rowsch Shaways روز نورى شاويس (1947–2021)	1 June 2004	7 April 2005	310 days	Kurdistan Democratic Party
		Adil Abdul-Mahdi عادل عبد المهدي (born 1942)	7 April 2005	11 July 2011	6 years, 95 days	Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq	Jalal Talabani
		Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer غازي مشعل عجيل الياور (born 1958)	7 April 2005	22 April 2006	1 year, 15 days	The Iraqis
		Tariq al-Hashimi طارق الهاشمي (born 1942)	22 April 2006	10 September 2012	6 years, 141 days	Iraqi Islamic Party
		Khodair al-Khozaei خضير الخزاعي (born 1947)	13 May 2011	9 September 2014	3 years, 119 days	Islamic Dawa Party – Iraq Organisation	Jalal Talabani Fuad Masum
		Nouri al-Maliki نوري المالكي (born 1950)	9 September 2014	11 August 2015	336 days	Islamic Dawa Party	Fuad Masum
		Osama al-Nujaifi أسامة النجيفي (born 1956)	9 September 2014	11 August 2015	336 days	Muttahidoon
		Ayad Allawi أياد علاوي (born 1944)	9 September 2014	11 August 2015	336 days	Iraqi National Accord
Job removed (11 August 2015–10 October 2016)
Job brought back (10 October 2016–present)
		Nouri al-Maliki نوري المالكي (born 1950)	10 October 2016	2 October 2018	1 year, 357 days	Islamic Dawa Party	Fuad Masum
		Osama al-Nujaifi أسامة النجيفي (born 1956)	10 October 2016	2 October 2018	1 year, 357 days	Muttahidoon
		Ayad Allawi أياد علاوي (born 1944)	10 October 2016	2 October 2018	1 year, 357 days	Iraqi National Accord

Timeline of Vice Presidents

This timeline shows when different people served as Vice President in Iraq.

See also

• List of current vice presidents