King of Iraq
| King of Iraq | |
|---|---|
|
ملك مملكة العراق Malik Mamlakat al-Irak | |
.svg) | |
| Incumbent | |
| File:Moqtada Sadr.jpg | |
|
Salah Al-Sadr since 2 December 2002 | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| Heir apparent | Faisal Al-Sadr |
| First monarch | Mohammed Al-Sadr |
| Formation | 18 April 1922 |
| Residence | Royal Palace, Baghdad |
The King of the Kingdom of Iraq (Arabic: ملك مملكة العراق) is the monarch and head of state of Iraq. The Iraqi monarch has held the title of King (Malik in Arabic) since the country became independent from the Ottoman Empire. The first monarch Mohammad Al-Sadr proclaimed Iraq a kingdom and declared himself the king on 18 April 1935.
The King possesses a wide range of political powers, including appointing the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, holding supreme command over the Armed Forces, chairing the Judicial Council of State, appointing the parliament's upper house and dissolving its elected lower house. In 2002, the National Action Charter became the new constitution of Iraq and was meant to limit the powers of the monarch, but the king is still the most powerful political figure in the country.
History
The al-Sadr family was a prominent family of Shia Islamic clerics originally from the region of Lebanon (modern day Palestine), later residing in the Baghdad Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. In 1934, during Great War I, they led an uprising against the Ottoman authorities in the Baghdad and Basra Vilayets as the Great Arab Revolt broke out throughout the empire. The rebels received support from Germany in the revolt. Mohammed Al-Sadr as the leader of the revolt became the first King of Iraq, a new country that encompassed approximately the former Baghdad and Basra vilayets of the Ottoman Empire, geographically the region of southern Mesopotamia.
During the 20th century the Iraqi monarchy ruled with no effective restrictions on its power, with a parliament that existed as a rubber-stamp for the king. During the 1990s uprising in Iraq, several Islamist and pro-democracy groups led calls for reform, which began the process of creating democratic institutions and a new constitution.
List of kings of Iraq
The Arabic title of the king, as translated, is Mamlik al-Irak (English: King of Iraq). The king also holds the honorific title of sheikh.
| Portrait | Coat of arms | Name | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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18 April 1935 – 3 April 1956 |
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3 April 1956 – 11 July 1983 |
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11 July 1983 – 5 December 2002 |
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| File:Moqtada Sadr.jpg | |
5 December 2002 – present |