"Muhassa Ta'ifa" is the informal power-sharing agreement between the different ethno-religious groups of Iraq which emerged in the country after the fall of the Ba'athist government in 2003. It consists of the following:
1. Government positions are delegated to specific groups. (ie. The prime minister is Shia Arab, the president is Kurdish, the speaker of the house is Sunni-Arab)
2. Parliamentary seats are allotted to different ethno-religious groups roughly based on population and can only be contested by members of the same ethno-religious group
3. Control over ministries are delegated to specific ethno-religious groups (ie. the minister of defense is always Sunni-Arab).
Iraq’s population is approximately 60% Shia-Arab, 15-20% Sunni-Arab, 15-20% Kurdish, with the remaining being other ethnoreligious groups (Turkmen, Assyrians, Yazidis, Armenians, etc.)