By 1977, he was elected to the National Command of the Ba'ath Party.On July 16, 1979, following Saddam Hussein's rise to the presidency, Ramadan was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister.

This position enabled him to oversee the activities of various ministries and state institutions, as well as undertake visits to Western European countries and the former Soviet Union.

In October 2002, four months before the United States invaded Iraq, Ramadan suggested U.S. President George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein settle their difference in a duel.

[5] He reasoned this would not only serve as an alternative to a war that was certain to damage Iraq's infrastructure,[6] but that it would also reduce the suffering of the Iraqi and American peoples.

Ramadan proposed that the duel be held in a neutral land, with each party using the same weapons, and with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan presiding as the supervisor.