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Iraq
Kurdish Autonomy
Three governorates in the north--Dahuk, Irbil, and As Sulaymaniyah--constitute
Iraqi Kurdistan, a region that historically has had a majority
population of Kurds. Ever since Iraq became independent in 1932,
the Kurds have demanded some form of self-rule in the Kurdish
areas. There were clashes between Kurdish antigovernment guerrillas
and army units throughout most of the 1960s. When the Baath Party
came to power in July 1968, the principal Kurdish leaders distrusted
its intentions and soon launched a major revolt (see The Emergence
of Saddam Husayn, 1968-79 , ch. 1). In March 1970, the government
and the Kurds reached an agreement, to be implemented within four
years, for the creation of an Autonomous Region consisting of
the three Kurdish governorates and other adjacent districts that
haf been determined by census to have a Kurdish majority. Although
the RCC issued decrees in 1974 and in 1975 that provided for the
administration of the Autonomous Region, these were not acceptable
to all Kurdish leaders and a major war ensued. The Kurds were
eventually crushed, but guerrilla activities continued in parts
of Kurdistan. In early 1988, antigovernment Kurds controlled several
hundred square kilometers of Irbil and As Sulaymaniyah governorates
adjacent to the Iranian frontier.
In early 1988, the Autonomous Region was governed according to
the stipulations of the 1970 Autonomy Agreement. It had a twelve-member
Executive Council that wielded both legislative and executive
powers and a Legislative Assembly that advised the council. The
chairman of the Executive Council was appointed by President Saddam
Husayn and held cabinet rank; the other members of the council
were chosen from among the deputies to the popularly elected Legislative
Assembly.
The Legislative Assembly consisted of fifty members elected for
three-year terms from among candidates approved by the central
government. The Legislative Assembly chose its own officers, including
its cabinet-rank chairman, a deputy chairman, and a secretary.
It had authority to ratify laws proposed by the Executive Council
and limited powers to enact legislation relating to the development
of "culture and nationalist customs of the Kurds" as well as other
matters of strictly local scope. The Legislative Assembly could
question the members of the Executive Council concerning the latter's
administrative, economic, educational, social, and other varied
responsibilities; it could also withhold a vote of confidence
from one or more of the Executive Council members. Both the assembly
and the council were located in the city of Irbil, the administrative
center of Irbil Governorate. Officials of these two bodies were
either Kurds or "persons well-versed in the Kurdish language,"
and Kurdish was used for all official communications at the local
level. The first Legislative Assembly elections were held in September
1980, and the second elections took place in August 1986.
Despite the Autonomous Region's governmental institutions, genuine
self-rule did not exist in Kurdistan in 1988. The central government
in Baghdad continued to exercise tight control by reserving to
itself the power to make all decisions in matters pertaining to
justice, to police, to internal security, and the administration
of the frontier areas. The Baath Party, through the minister of
state for regional autonomy and other ministerial representatives
operating in the region, continued to supervise activities of
all governing bodies in the region. The minister of justice and
a special oversight body set up by the Court of Cassation reviewed
all local enactments and administrative decisions, and they countermanded
any local decrees that were deemed contrary to the "constitution,
laws, or regulations" of the central government. The central government's
superior authority has been most dramatically evident in the frontier
areas, where government security units have forcibly evacuated
Kurdish villagers to distant lowlands (see Kurds , ch. 2).
Data as of May 1988
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