The
Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's
head of government. Prime Minister was originally an appointed office, subsidiary to the
head of state, and the nominal leader of the
Iraqi parliament. Under the newly adopted constitution the Prime Minister is to be the country's active
executive authority.
Nouri al-Maliki (formerly Jawad al-Maliki) was selected to be Prime Minister on 21 April 2006. On 14 August 2014 al-Maliki agreed to step down as prime minister of
Iraq to allow
Haider al-Abadi to take his place.