Who runs local government in Iraq?
Iraq's 2005 Constitution creates a federal system: the Kurdistan Region has its own parliament and government, and the other 15 governorates are meant to have broad self-rule through elected provincial councils. Those councils were suspended by Parliament in 2019 and restored by elections in December 2023, the first in a decade. Alongside the state, tribal sheikhs remain important in settling disputes and keeping local order.
Republic of Iraq · Federal parliamentary republic · Western Asia
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Kurdistan Region (federal region with 4 governorates) | Kurdistan Parliament directly elected; it forms the Kurdistan Regional Government | Own security forces, laws and budget within the federal Constitution. |
| Governorates not in a region (15) | Provincial council elected by open-list proportional representation; the council elects the governor | Under Article 122, broad administrative and financial powers; the governor is the highest executive official in the governorate. |
| Districts (qadha) and sub-districts (nahiya) | By law, elected councils whose heads are chosen by the council; in practice district heads (qa'immaqam) and sub-district directors are often appointed while council elections at this level have not been held | Local services and administration. |
Three questions about local power in Iraq
Are local leaders elected?
Provincial council members are elected; governors are elected by the councils. The Kurdistan Parliament is elected. District and sub-district councils are elected only on paper at present. Tribal sheikhs and religious leaders are not elected.
Which laws set up local government?
Regions, governorates and councils are in the Constitution and the 2008 Law on Governorates Not Incorporated in a Region. Tribes are mentioned in the Constitution but their dispute settlement is customary, not formal law.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Voters choose councils every four years; councils can remove governors; Parliament has dissolved councils before (2019); courts (including the Federal Supreme Court) rule on disputes. Sheikhs answer mainly to their tribe and to community pressure.
Traditional and customary authority
The Constitution (Article 45) says the state shall 'seek the advancement of the Iraqi clans and tribes' while banning tribal traditions that contradict human rights. Tribal sheikhs, whose position is usually inherited within a leading family and confirmed by tribe members, settle disputes through customary law (for example blood-money settlements after killings), negotiate truces and help the police, and the Interior Ministry works with them on matters such as weapons registration. Shia religious authorities in Najaf (the marja'iyya) and Sunni and Christian leaders also carry great moral weight. None of these leaders has formal local-government powers.
Community and neighbourhood power
Neighbourhood mukhtars (local headmen recognised by the authorities) certify residence and help with documents. Mosques, husseiniyas (Shia community halls), armed groups linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces and charities also organise local services and security in some areas.
Points to know
- Provincial council elections on 18 December 2023 covered the 15 governorates outside Kurdistan, including Kirkuk; turnout was about 41%. Parliament had suspended the councils in 2019 after mass protests.
- The election law reserves at least a quarter of seats for women and sets aside seats for Christians, Yazidis, Shabaks, Sabean-Mandaeans and Faili Kurds in some councils.
- The Kurdistan Region's own provincial councils were last elected in 2014.
- Any governorate can ask to become a region by referendum (Article 119), but none has done so since 2005.
Local terms
- Sheikh (tribal)
- Head of a tribe or clan, usually from a leading family, who mediates disputes and speaks for members.
- Fasl
- A tribal settlement, often a payment, agreed to end a dispute or blood feud.
- Qa'immaqam
- Head of a district (qadha).
Sources
- Iraq's Constitution of 2005, Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Iraq: local government profile, UN Women (Women in Local Government country profiles), checked 14 October 2026
- Independent High Electoral Commission (official site), Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq, checked 14 October 2026
- Between detribalization and retribalization: political role of the tribes in contemporary Iraq, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (peer-reviewed journal), checked 14 October 2026
See also: Iraq's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.