Saddam Re-elected Head of Iraq's Ruling PartyPresident Saddam Hussein was unanimously re-elected secretary-general of Iraq's ruling Arab Baath Socialist Party at a meeting held late Thursday night, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.His re-election will automatically enable him to continue to serve as chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council, the country's supreme decision-making body. In addition, Saddam also holds the posts of president, prime minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The last time Saddam was re-elected secretary-general of the Baath party was in July 1995, when the 11th national conference of the party was held in Baghdad. Saddam became president in 1979 and has since been the most powerful man in the oil-rich country, now reeling under sweeping sanctions. Ten of the 18 members of the Baath Party command were re-elected, including Izzat Ibrahim, vice chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council, Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, Deputy Prime Minister and acting Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz, INA said. A total of seven new members were elected, including Saddam's second son Qusai. Qusai currently runs the Republican Guards, the country's best- trained and equipped troops and handles the elite Special Security Organization that protects his father. Qusai's elder brother Odai controls Iraq's media and is also a member of Iraq's National Assembly (parliament). |
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