Constitution of Iraq in the context of "January 2005 Iraqi parliamentary election"

Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan (Kurdish: باشووری کوردستان, romanized: Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan), northern Syria (Western Kurdistan), and northwestern Iran (Eastern Kurdistan). Much of the geographical and cultural region of Iraqi Kurdistan is part of the Kurdistan Region (KRI), a semi-autonomous region recognized by the Constitution of Iraq. As with the rest of Kurdistan, and unlike most of the rest of Iraq, the region is inland and mountainous.

The president of the Republic of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq. Since the mid-2000s, the presidency is primarily a symbolic office, as the position does not possess significant power within the country according to the constitution adopted in October 2005.

Due to the Muhasasah political system informally adopted since the creation of the new Iraqi federal state, the office is expected to be held by a Kurd (all were from the PUK party). Although, it is not an official legal requirement.

According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Republic of Iraq is composed of the capital, federal regions, decentralised governorates, as well as local administrations. Article 117 of the constitution recognises Kurdistan Region as a federal region, and as of July 2023, it remains the sole federal region in the country.

The disputed territories of northern Iraq (Arabic: المناطق المتنازع عليها في العراق, Kurdish: ناوچە جێناکۆکەکانی عێراق) are regions defined by article 140 of the Constitution of Iraq as being Arabised during Ba'ath Party rule in Iraq. Most of these regions are inhabited by non-Arabs, including Kurds, Assyrians, Yazidis, Turkmens/Turkomans, and Shabaks.

The disputed areas have been a core concern for many Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds, and Turkmens, especially since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent political restructuring. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) gained control of territory to the south of the Kurdistan Region after 2003, taking over land they claimed as part of "Iraqi Kurdistan".

The federal government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution, approved in 2005, as a democratic, parliamentary republic with Islam as the official state religion. The government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as numerous independent commissions.

Iraq has had three vice presidents or deputy presidents serving concurrently.

The office of Vice President was historically largely ceremonial but prestigious. In post-war Iraq, the Constitution of Iraq, in its "Transitional Guidelines," creates a three-member presidency (or presidential) council, consisting of the president of Iraq and two deputy presidents, who must act in unison. The presidency council had three members to accommodate Iraq's three largest groups: Sunni Muslim Arabs, Shiite Muslim Arabs, and the mostly Sunni Kurds. As a unit, the Presidency Council was meant to symbolize the unity of the nation. This arrangement is required by the constitution to continue until the Council of Representatives, enters its second set of sessions. At this point, the Presidency Council would be replaced by a solitary President of the Republic, who would have only one deputy, the vice-president. In any case, the Presidency is appointed by the Council of Representatives. The three-member arrangement was a hold-over from the Iraqi Interim Government and the Iraqi Transitional Government.

The main subdivision in Iraq is the 19 muhafazah, also known as governorates. Before 1976 they were called liwas, or banner.

Under the Constitution of Iraq adopted in 2005, one or more provinces may elect to form a federal region, which has the right to a share of oil revenues.