Democratic transformation in post-2003 Iraq: Between constitutional Impediments and Consociationalism

Abstract

The democratic transition process in post-2003 Iraq has faced numerous obstacles and barriers. The most prominent of these are related to problems inherent in Iraq's permanent 2005 Constitution, while others stem from the challenges created by the implementation of consociational democracy in the country. This form of democracy has contributed more to deepening Iraq's ethno-sectarian conflicts rather than resolving the issue of pluralism in the country. Moreover, the problems resulting from its implementation have become barriers to the democratic transition process and have hindered the proper functioning of the country's formal institutions.

This research academically and scientifically investigates the main obstacles facing the democratic transition process in contemporary Iraq, while seeking solutions to the central research problem, which is framed in the following main question: What role have Iraq's 2005 Constitution and consociational democracy played in hindering the democratic transition process in post-2003 Iraq? Through scientific efforts to answer the research question, it has concluded that the consociational democracy model is one of the main obstacles to the democratic transition process in post-2003 Iraq, in addition to the problems associated with the 2005 permanent Constitution, which have become barriers to the realization of this process.