Concept Paper on Improving and Strengthening Relationships Between the Executive and Legislative Branches: Application for Iraq

LSP provides support to strengthen Iraq's parliament, the Council of Representatives (COR), by building the capacity of its members and staff to debate laws, form and run parliamentary committees, analyze and consider proposed legislation, and oversee the executive branch. The COR's Rules of Procedure provide a mechanism for dialogue between COR committees and ministries, but relationships between the two vary widely. Some committees have excellent relationships, while others are strained or non-existent, often due to political blocs and party differences, suspicion about competing agendas, or indifference on the part of ministries. In fragile states, new multiparty legislatures may struggle to establish strong democratic institutions due to international and domestic pressures. A strong legislature is inherently correlated with a strong democracy and open society, but dominance by the executive branch can be the quickest solution to produce visible and tangible results during conflict and recovery. In many democratic legislatures, the executive branch introduces 90% of legislation, which may be due to legislatures requiring long periods of analysis and discussion before laws are created and passed. A weak legislative-executive balance may be due to opposition parties being weak, ineffective, or unable to provide sufficient scrutiny and response to executive activities. Multiparty legislatures may lack organization, financial resources, equipment, experienced parliament members, and staff, making it difficult to provide a mature and autonomous point of deliberation in the policy process. International examples, such as Cambodia and Macau, demonstrate the challenges of legislative-executive relationships in emerging democracies and fragile states. In Cambodia, the executive branch dominated the parliament, and opposition parties were weak and ineffective. In Macau, the Legislative Assembly President issued a report highlighting the importance of consulting and communicating with legislators on legislative proposals and budget and finance committees. The LSP aims to address these challenges by providing support to the COR and promoting a more sustainable democratic path in Iraq. The program's team of international and local specialists are working to build the capacity of the COR's members and staff to debate laws, form and run parliamentary committees, and oversee the executive branch. The LSP is also promoting greater transparency and accountability in the COR's operations and decision-making processes. The LSP's approach is based on a comprehensive analysis of the challenges facing the COR and the need to strengthen its relationships with the executive branch. The program's recommendations and possible programs for Iraq include: * Building the capacity of the COR's members and staff to debate laws, form and run parliamentary committees, and oversee the executive branch * Promoting greater transparency and accountability in the COR's operations and decision-making processes * Strengthening the COR's relationships with the executive branch through regular dialogue and exchange * Improving the COR's ability to receive and examine documents from the ministries and other sources * Enhancing the COR's oversight function through the use of parliamentary committees and hearings The LSP's ultimate goal is to promote a more sustainable democratic path in Iraq by strengthening the COR's relationships with the executive branch and promoting greater transparency and accountability in the COR's operations and decision-making processes.