Ahmad Mukhtar Baban

Who was Ahmad Mukhtar Baban?

Ahmad Mukhtar Baban was the last Prime Minister of Iraq under the monarchy in 1958. Baban became prime minister on May 18, 1958, during a time of political tension. The monarchies of Iraq and Jordan had recently agreed upon a confederation known as the Arab Federation. The federation, and Baban's time as prime minister, lasted for only two months, as on July 14, 1958, the monarchy was overthrown in a coup, and a republic was established under Abdul Karim Qassim. Baban was arrested and sentenced to death by the People's Court—established under Qassim's leadership following the coup—though unlike the royal family and many Iraqi politicians in the monarchy, the sentence was commuted and he was not executed.