1933 Iraqi parliamentary election

Last updated
1933 Iraqi parliamentary election
Flag of Iraq (1924-1959).svg
  1930 8 February 1933 1934  

All 88 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
45 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Naji Shawkat.jpg Yasin Hashimi, 1927.jpg
Leader Naji Shawkat Yasin al-Hashimi
PartyGovernment Bloc HIW & allies
Leader's seat Baghdad Baghdad
Last election13 (as People's Party)
Seats won7216
Seat changeNewIncrease2.svg3

PM before election

Naji Shawkat

Subsequent PM

Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
HIW

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq in 1933 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Although the Government Bloc led by incumbent Prime Minister Naji Shawkat won the most seats, it quickly disintegrated after the elections, allowing Rashid Ali al-Gaylani to become Prime Minister.

Contents

Background

Prime Minister Nuri al-Said submitted his resignation to King Faisal on 27 October 1932. The resignation was accepted on the following day. Faisal selected Naji Shawkat to form a new government on 3 November 1932. Although the resignation of al-Said was supposedly at his own behest, [1] it was Faisal who had requested his resignation. He wished to reduce the influence of al-Said, who had established good relationships with the British government after signing the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930, as well as gaining support from the moderate opposition which opposed the treaty.

The government of Shawkat was seen as a compromise government that would achieve a balance between pro-British policies and opposition demands, and clear the political congestion caused by the signing the 1930 treaty. The new government sought to dissolve parliament (in which al-Said retained a majority) to calm the general public and limit al-Said's influence. [1] [2]

Al-Said tried to dissuade Naji Shawkat from dissolving parliament by promising his party's support for the Shawkat government. However, Faisal and the new Prime Minister were determined to press ahead and a royal decree was issued for that purpose on 8 November 1932. [1] Al-Said tried to block the decision by instructing his party's deputies not to attend the parliamentary session in which the royal decree was to be announced, but that was not able to prevent the government and Faisal from proceeding in dissolving parliament on 8 October.

Al-Said subsequently held a meeting with his party's leadership on 10 October. The leadership issued a statement denouncing the dissolution and decided to send a memorandum to Faisal, claiming that the dissolution was illegitimate. Faisal tried to keep al-Said away from Iraq by appointing him as the country's representative to the League of Nations on 16 November 1932. [1] [5]

Election process

Shawkat's government had four months from the date of parliament's dissolution to hold new elections in accordance with article 40 of the constitution. [2] Therefore, the government selected 10 December 1932 as the date for electing the secondary voters that would elect the new parliament deputies early in 1933.

Results

Shawkat's government did not have a formal party, but endorsed a list of independent candidates that came to be known as the "government bloc". This bloc won 72 of the 88 seats, however this majority did not hold as the bloc began to disintegrate after the parliament  convened on 8 March 1933. [1] [2] [3] [4] The National Brotherhood Party led by Yasin al-Hashimi and Rashid Ali al-Gaylani and members of the Iraqi National Party, led by Jafar Abu al-Temman participated in the elections as an opposition alliance, winning a minority of seats. [1] Al-Said's Covenant party faded away.

Government formation

After the elections, Shawkat tried to expand his government by including elements from the moderate opposition such as al-Hashimi and Hikmat Sulayman. However, he failed to do so as the opposition started to grow, and his parliamentary bloc started to disintegrate. He submitted his resignation to Faisal on 18 March 1933, which was accepted. Faisal subsequently chose al-Gaylani on 20 March to form a new government. [1] [2] [3]

Aftermath

Shawkat's government decision to endorse a group of independent "Government Bloc" candidates rather than having a formal party began a new tradition in Iraqi politics. [2] [3] [5] The government would rely on their support to stay in power and pass laws. However, there were no guarantees that these candidates would stay loyal to the government after elections. Subsequently, it was common for the deputies to change their political affiliation from one party to another, or move from pro-government to opposition and vice versa. [3] [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghazi of Iraq</span> 2nd king of Hashemite Iraq (r. 1933-39)

Ghazi ibn Faisal was the King of Iraq from 1933 to 1939 having been briefly Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Syria in 1920. He was born in Mecca, the only son of Faisal I. He died in a car crash in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yasin al-Hashimi</span> 4th and 17th prime minister of Iraq (1884–1937)

Yasin al-Hashimi, born Yasin Hilmi Salman, was an Iraqi politician who twice served as the prime minister. Like many of Iraq's early leaders, al-Hashimi served as a military officer during Ottoman control of the country. He made his political debut under the government of his predecessor, Jafar al-Askari, and replaced him as prime minister shortly after, in August 1924. Al-Hashimi served for ten months before he was replaced, in turn by Abd al-Muhsin as-Sa'dun. Over the next ten years he filled a variety of governmental positions finally returning to the office of prime minister in March 1935. On 30 October 1936, Hashimi became the first Iraqi prime minister to be deposed in a coup, which was led by General Bakr Sidqi and a coalition of ethnic minorities. Unlike al-Askari, who was then his minister of defense, al-Hashimi survived the coup and made his way to Beirut, Lebanon, where he died three months later. His older brother and close ally, Taha al-Hashimi, served as Prime Minister of Iraq in 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuri al-Said</span> Iraqi politician (1888–1958)

Nuri Pasha al-Said CH was an Iraqi politician during the British mandate in Iraq and the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. He held various key cabinet positions and served eight terms as the prime minister of Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naji Shawkat</span> Prime minister of Iraq from 1932 to 1933

Muhammad Naji Shawkat Bey was an Iraqi politician who served as the prime minister of Iraq under King Faisal I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashid Ali al-Gaylani</span> Former Prime Minister of Iraq

Rashid Ali al-Gaylani was an Iraqi politician who served as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Iraq on three occasions: from March to November 1933, from March 1940 to February 1941 and from April to May 1941. He is chiefly remembered as an ardent Arab nationalist who attempted to remove the British influence from Iraq by starting a coup against the government in 1941. During his brief tenures as Prime Minister in 1940 and 1941, he attempted to negotiate settlements with the Axis powers during World War II in order to counter British influence in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Iraq</span> Independent Iraqi monarchy (1932–1958)

The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq was a state located in the Middle East from 1932 to 1958.

The Party of National Brotherhood or National Brotherhood Party was an Iraqi political party formed in 1930–1931 by Yasin al-Hashimi, Naji al-Suwaydi, and Rashid Ali al-Gaylani. A pan-Arabist and strongly nationalist party, it became associated with opposition to the British Empire. It dominated Iraqi governments from its foundation until the 1936 coup.

The Al-Muthanna Club was an influential pan-Arab fascist society established in Baghdad ca. 1935 to 1937 which remained active until May 1941, when the coup d'état of pro-Nazi Rashid Ali al-Gaylani failed. It was named after Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha, an Iraqi Muslim Arab general who led forces that helped to defeat the Persian Sassanids at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah. Later known as the National Democratic Party, Nadi al-Muthanna was influenced by European fascism and controlled by radical Arab nationalists who, according to 2005's Memories of State, "formed the core of new radicals" for a combined Pan-Arab civilian and military coalition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1930 Iraqi parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 20 October 1930 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies. For every twenty thousand male citizens, one Member of Parliament was elected to the Chamber of Deputies (Majlis an-Nuwwab), the dominant chamber of Parliament over the Senate. It was the third election since the establishment of the parliament.

Elections to a Constituent Assembly were held in Iraq between 24 October 1922 and 25 February 1924, electing the country's first parliament. The Constituent Assembly was elected to draft a constitution, legislate a law for general elections, and ratify the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1922.

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq in 1925, the first under the 1925 constitution. After the elections, Abdul-Muhsin Al-Saadoun became Prime Minister for the second time and founded the Progress Party to support the government and gain a parliamentary majority.

The Constitutional Union Party was an Iraqi political party that was founded by Nuri Al-Said in 1949. The party included politicians from different ethnicities and religions, it was based in Baghdad with its headquarter located at Al-Rasheed street. The party held it first conference on 23 December 1949, the conference elected members for the party's Higher Commission, and Al-Said as a chairman.

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 6 December 1934 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies.

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 4 August 1935 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies.

Jafar Abu al-Timman was an Iraqi politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1936–1937 Iraqi parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq between 10 December 1936 and 20 February 1937 to elect the members of Chamber of Deputies of Iraq.

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 18 December 1937 to elect the members of Chamber of Deputies.

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 29 April 1939 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies.

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq between 21 November 1946 and 10 March 1947 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies.

Ali Mumtaz al-Daftary, an Iraqi nationalist-oriented politician, held several posts in the monarchy, including parliamentary and ministerial positions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "من ذاكرة التاريخ: الملك فيصل يطلب من نوري السعيد تقديم استقالة حكومته / حامد الحمداني". www.almothaqaf.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Al-Hassani, Abdul Razzaq (1953). History of Iraqi Governments, Vol 3, pp203-211. Sidon, Lebanon: Al-Irfan Press, Sidon. pp. 203–211.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Al-Omari, K. "كيف بدأت ظاهرة الكتل النيابية في العراق في الثلاثينيات". Almada. Archived from the original on 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  4. 1 2 3 Al-Zubaidi, M. H. "كيف شكل نوري السعيد حزب العهد بطلب من الملك فيصل الاول؟". Almada. Archived from the original on 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Al-Juburi, A. H. "حزب العهد العراقي سنة 1930". Almada. Archived from the original on 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2018-12-15.