Iraq: From the Temporary Constitution to the Permanent Constitution

The election of the first Parliament on 15 December 2005, opened the path for the "Permanent Constitution" for a period of four years. The victors, the Shiites (128 seats) & the Kurds (59 seats), affirm that no change is going to be made to its fundamentals, & especially, to federalism, one of the "conditions" imposed by the Sunni Arabs in order for them to participate in the elections. The Shiites did not obtain the absolute majority that they had obtained in the temporary Parliament, due to the participation of the Sunni Arabs that boycotted, until now, all types of elections. Agreements multiplied in order to confirm that all the articles of the constitution will be applied. However, nothing is less certain, particularly concerning Kirkuk. E. Sanchez