The President of the Republic of Iraq is the head of state. The Presidency is no longer the totalitarian position it once held under the Ba’athists with Saddam Hussein at its helm, nor does it possess the same power it did from 2005-2010 when there was the Presidency Council and the President had veto powers over parliamentary legislation. The late President Jalal Talabani was a towering figure in Iraqi politics that commanded respect, even with the loss of veto powers. However, after Talabani fell ill in 2012, Iraq’s Presidency has been yearning for a unifying figure to take its place.

In late 2014, Fuad Masum, the incumbent President was voted in by two-thirds majority in Parliament after a consensus by the Kurdish parties to nominate him. Masum was one of the founders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) alongside former President Jalal Talabani. In addition to being a veteran Kurdish politician, Masum has an education background in Baghdad and Cairo, giving him strong Arabic skills as well as having taught in Basra for a number of years. Therefore, Masum seemed perfect for the role of President.

However, throughout his term, Masum was often referred to as the “sleeping President” because he was not seen in public often or present during important developments. When asked about his lack of public appearances, he said he is not someone that seeks the spotlight. This would be fine if the Office of the President had many responsibilities outside ceremonial practices. Instead, Masum slacked at his main responsibility. He was rarely seen representing Iraq abroad and more importantly rarely made visits across the provinces to foster a bond between the government and its people. With the Prime Minister, also Commander in Chief, preoccupied with a war against Da’ish and economic hardships, the President could have helped provide moral support throughout the war by visiting citizens while their sons fought for the country. Such positive visibility would have been both simple and appreciated.

To make matters worse, not only was Masum seen sleeping on the job, his Presidency has been stained with nepotism, employing multiple daughters as his advisors. While the President has become more of a ceremonial position since 2010, it remains a very rich resource for the political party occupying the role, in this case the PUK since 2005. The President has an annual budget of 43 million USD. This is a lot when considering there are little Presidential responsibilities and the fact the Iraqi President can have up to three Vice Presidents, positions in place since 2014. These offices of the Vice Presidents also have large budgets with unnecessary advisory roles as well.

With the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq finalizing the results of the May 2018 election, Iraq’s Parliament will be convening in the coming days to elect a new President that will task the biggest bloc with forming the new government. Many take no issue with the President being a Kurd, in fact many take pride in the diversity Iraq has by electing a Kurd as its head of state. However, Iraq needs a President that makes an effort to build a bridge between the government and people, and one that is bold and brave enough to always hold the stance for a unified Iraq, regardless of ethnicity.

In 2017, when the Kurdistan Regional Government held a referendum against the will of the Federal Government in Baghdad, President Masum was silent on the matter. In fact Masum’s advisor/daughter made a video telling the Iraqi people that this should be something they accept, despite the fact that the President is meant to guard the unity of Iraq and ensure the constitution is adhered to. It does not take much for the President of Iraq to be popular and well liked. It needs a charismatic leader that reinforces Iraqi unity amongst its entire people, while also playing a constructive intermediary role between the legislative and executive branches of government and between the Regional Government in Erbil and the Federal Government.

There are talks that the likes of Barham Salih, Hoshyar Zebari and Ala Talabani are in the running for the Presidency. While all have served in Baghdad in different positions, the latter two have said or done unforgiving things towards Iraq. Zebari went from representing Iraq as Foreign Minister for a decade to leading the Kurdish referendum to divide the country. While in 2016, Ala Talabani referred to Baghdad as hell after the storming of the Green Zone by Sadrist protestors. After all that Iraq has been through, the last thing the country needs is a President that has referred to their capital in such a manner or worse, tried to divide Iraq. Someone like former Deputy Prime Minister, Barham Salih would be a more suitable candidate, as he is well liked across Iraq based on the fact he has always spoken of a united and federal Iraq, something a ceremonial position like the Presidency needs.

Incorporating a President and Prime Minister in the Iraqi political system post-2003 was to ensure an authoritarian figure like Saddam Hussein cannot make a return. While there have been calls from the public to adopt a Presidential system of governance, it is unlikely that Iraq will move away from the balance of power put in place by the Iraqi constitution. It is also unlikely that the Presidency Council will return, as it needs the will of the political class to form a referendum for the people to vote on. Therefore the position of the President looks to remain the same, which is why Iraq in the coming days needs an active and unifying figure in the form of a President, in order to complement what is hopefully a Prime Minister with a vision.