Iraq consists of 19 governorates, also known as "provinces",former President Saddam Hussein divided the country into eighteen governorates in the 1970s for reasons of ethnic manipulation, Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti,  was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until which date? 
Governorates of Iraq:  Former President Saddam Hussein divided the country into eighteen governorates in the 1970s for reasons of ethnic manipulation. Saddam Hussein: Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( ; Arabic: صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي "Ṣaddām Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Maǧīd al-Tikrītī "; 28 April 1937  – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003.
9 April 2003