The council's first decision was to abolish all holidays associated with the Baath regime and to declare 9 April, the day Baghdad fell to coalition forces, a national holiday. However, even during its first session, divisions emerged between the council's disparate members. Sciri leader Abdel-aziz al-Hakim and INC chief Ahmed Chalabi disagreed over the role of the US and UK forces in Iraq, the former describing them as occupiers and the latter as liberators. Al-Hakim also asserted that the council's executive powers were limited, while Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani claimed that it would have 'practically all the functions of a government'. Both Sciri and the two Kurdish parties had initially threatened to boycott the body when Bremer announced that it would be appointed rather than elected, but agreed to participate after CPA assurances that the council would have concrete executive power. Chairmanship of the council is yet to be decided.

Full list of council members:

Ahmed Chalabi, leader of Iraqi National Congress, Shiite

Abdelaziz Al Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic

Revolution, Shiite

Ibrahim Jafari, Al-Da'wa Islamic Party, Shiite

Iyad Alawi, leader of Iraqi National Accord, Shiite

Ahmed al-Barak, human rights activist, Shiite

Aquila al-Hashimi, foreign affairs expert, Shiite

Raja Habib al-Khuzaai, maternity hospital director, Shiite

Hamid Majid Moussa, Communist Party, Shiite

Mohammed Bahr al-Uloum, cleric from Najaf, Shiite

Wael Abdul Latif, Basra governor, Shiite

Abdel-Karim Mahoud al-Mohammedawi, member of Iraqi Hezbollah, Shiite

Abdel-Zahraa Othman Mohammed, Al-Da'wa Party, Shiite

Mouwafak al-Rabii, Shiite

Nasir Chaderchi, National Democratic Party, Sunni

Adnan Pachachi, former foreign minister, Sunni

Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, northern tribal chief, Sunni

Mohsen Abdel Hamid, Iraqi Islamic Party, Sunni

Samir Shakir Mahmoud, Sunni

Jalal Talabani, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Sunni Kurd

Massoud Barzani, Kurdistan Democratic Party, Sunni Kurd

Mahmoud Othman, Sunni Kurd

Salaheddine Bahaaeddin, Kurdistan Islamic Union, Sunni Kurd

Younadem Kana, Assyrian Christian

Dara Noor Alzin, judge

Sondul Chapouk, a woman, Turkmen