Representative Government at the Local Level

Representative Government at the Local Level Day-to-day operation of the Iraqi government is now in the hands of Iraqis. In addition to the Iraqi ministers at the national level, the majority of towns and cities in Iraq have functioning local governments. The Baghdad example is illustrative. In each of Baghdad’s 88 neighborhoods, citizens have freely selected representatives for local governing councils. They, in turn, choose members of 9 District Councils and a 37-member City Council. All told, over 800 democratically selected Council Members are now hard at work serving their fellow citizens. They include Sunnis, Shias, and Christians, Arabs and Kurds— and more than 75 women.