Unpacking Faiq Zaydan's legal opinions

Iraq’s judiciary played a central role during the year-long post-election impasse. Several rulings by the Federal Supreme Court (FSC) were critical to the trajectory of the government formation process. Faiq Zaydan, Iraq’s most senior judicial figure, has been at the centre of the judiciary’s rise to prominence. With limited media appearances, little is known about Zaydan’s personal views on a range of legal and constitutional matters. But some insights can be gleaned from three articles that he has published this year. Zaydan also recently gave a lengthy interview to an Iraqi think tank where he elaborated in much more detail on his positions vis-à-vis issues ranging from federalism to Iraq’s anti-corruption institutions. Three key areas of contention are summarised below: