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Saddam Hussein was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003.A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organisation Ba'ath Party .Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup (later referred to as the 17 July Revolution) that brought the party to power in Iraq.