The Prime Minister of Iraq is the head of government of the Kingdom of Iraq. 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, at the request of King Sharif I of Iraq.