Saddam's son lines up as sucessor

Saddam Hussein’s second son Qusai has been elected to the ruling party’s leadership, significantly boosting his chances of succeeding his father.

Iraqis were surprised when state-television broadcast that the President’s elder son, Odai Hussein, had not been elected to the Iraqi Regional Command, the executive of the Baath party, at a congress in Baghdad.

Odai, 36, had long been considered the likely successor of his father, even though he does not hold a high position in the Baath or Government.

The Iraqi Baath is similar to its sister party in Syria, where Bashar Assad succeeded his father as President of the country last July even though he was not previously a high-ranking official in either the party or Government.

As expected, the congress re-elected Saddam as secretary general of the party.

Saddam opened the proceedings with a speech that advised the more than 300 delegates on how to vote.

‘‘The leader should feel oppressed to fight the oppressor, not an oppressor expecting the oppressed to revolt against him,’’ Saddam said.

‘‘Do not elect those who do not consider defeat as a shame,’’ Saddam added, before sitting down for the elections to take place.

Saddam was then elected secretary general by vote of every delegate in the hall rising to his or her feet.

However, the election of the 18 person Iraqi Regional Command was by secret ballot.

The television reported that 24 candidates stood for the command, but it identified only the successful candidates. It was not known if Odai ran.

Among the eight new members elected, Qusai, 34, was the big surprise.

Unlike his flamboyant elder brother, Qusai has cut a low-profile in public life.

It is said that most Iraqis would not recognise him. But he controls two powerful military units, the elite Republican Guards and the Special Security Organisation that protects Saddam.

He is married to the daughter of a general and has three sons.

Odai, who has a reputation for womanising and a violent temper, runs a paramilitary force called Saddam’s Commandos. He is a member of parliament and the owner of Babil, the most influential newspaper in Iraq.

He was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt in December 1996.

A second surprise was the election of Huda Saleh Mehdi Ammash, the first woman to win a seat on the party executive.

Saddam has recently encouraged women to play a greater role in Iraq.

Foremost among those who lost seats on the command was Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Hamza al-Zubaidi.