Parties and Leaders
II. Secular Groups
Iraqi Independent Democrats
The Iraqi Independent Democrats party was formed after the fall of Saddam Hussein and is led by the moderate democrat Adnan Pachachi. Mr. Pachachi was one of the Governing Council members to hold the rotating presidency, and was said to be the UN's preferred candidate for president of the Interim government.
It was reported that he was offered the post but declined it to make way for Ghazi Yawer - the candidate backed by the majority in the Governing Council
Two of the Iraqi Independent Democrats members held ministerial posts under the Governing Council and later retained them in the Interim government - Mahdi al-Hafez - planning minister and Ayham al-Samarrai- minister of electricity.
Iraqi Communist Party
After a 35-year ban under the regime of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) has re-appeared on the Iraqi political scene.
The Party, founded in 1934, played a critical role in the coup that ousted the British-backed monarchy in 1958.
Although the Iraqi Communist Party opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, two of the party members joined the US appointed Iraqi Governing Council.
Mufid Mohammad Jawad al-Jazairi, a key party member, was appointed minister of culture in the Interim government that took office in June 2004, keeping the post which he held under the Iraqi Governing Council.
Traditionally, the ICP has drawn its support from poor Shias in southern Iraq. Now it claims that its members comprise people from a broad cross-section of the country's communities.
National Democratic Party
The leader of the National Democratic Party is Naseer al-Chaderchi, a secular Sunni moderate. Mr. al-Chaderchi had a seat on the Iraqi Governing Council but was not a member of the Interim government.
Under the Governing Council, party members Abdel Ameer Abboud Rahima was Minister for Agriculture, Hashim Abdel Rahman al-Shibli was minister for Justice. However, neither of them retained their position in the Interim government.