Falteringly but hopefully, Iraq has made a first step toward building a democratic state. Last Wednesday, following four days of acrimonious talks, a national conference of political and religious leaders selected a council that will advise the interim government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. With violence continuing across the country, however, the road ahead looks bumpy.
The 100-member interim national council will act more like a Parliament until general elections are held next January. Although its powers will be limited, it will be able to veto legislation with a two-thirds majority and approve the 2005 national budget. It also has the authority to appoint a prime minister or president if either dies or leaves office.
The council's makeup seems to send mixed signals. Nineteen seats had been allocated, even before the conference convened, to former members of the now-defunct U.S.-appointed Governing Council, which disbanded in June when sovereignty was handed over to the Iraqis. Some of the remaining 81 seats were given to returned exiles who had opposed the regime of former President Saddam Hussein. Although the lineup of the new body was not immediately announced, it supposedly includes 25 women.