Iraq Parliment Updates

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Leader of the Sadrist movement Muqtada Al-Sadr just announces his decision to completely quit political work

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Iraq to impose nationwide curfew

The Iraqi authorities will be imposing a nationwide curfew at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Monday until further notice, the Iraqi Security Forces Joint Command said in light of ongoing widespread protests

"Complete ban on movement in all provinces of Iraq from 19:00 today until further notice," the statement said.

The Iraqi Joint Operational Headquarters issued a statement announcing a lockdown as of 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT) in light of fears of an escalation, calling on the security services to bolster the protection of governmental buildings, banks, political parties' headquarters, and infrastructure.

Hundreds of the Sadrist movement's followers broke into Baghdad’s green zone shortly after the movement's leader, Muqtada Al-Sadr, announced his retirement from politics.

An AFP correspondent reported that the protestors broke into the meeting rooms in the governmental buildings, and some of them carried the Iraqi flag while others swam in the Republican Palace's swimming pool.

The correspondent also reported seeing thousands of supporters of the Sadrist movement in the streets of Baghdad outside the Green Zone, heading toward the official presidential residence.

"There are fears of the developments spreading out to Basra after the demonstrators blocked the Algerian street intersection," the chief of Al Mayadeen's bureau in Baghdad.

Local media reported that the security forces resorted to using tear gas to disperse protestors gathered around the Presidential Palace.

Leader of the Sadrist movement Muqtada Al-Sadr said earlier today that he was quitting politics. In a tweet, Sadr announced his final resignation from politics and the closure of all his party offices.

He added that "all the institutions" linked to his Sadrist movement will be closed, except the mausoleum of his father, Mohammed Sadeq Al-Sadr, who was assassinated in 1999, and other heritage facilities.

Al-Sadr's supporters have been staging a sit-in outside Iraq's parliament for several weeks, after storming it on July 30 to protest the Coordination Framework's nomination of Mohammad Shiya Al-Sudani for Prime Minister.

Caretaker Prime Minister Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi convened talks with party leaders earlier this month, but the Sadrists shunned them.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... w:-baghdad

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Sadr game for Iraq dominance

Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr may have declared his "definitive retirement" from politics this week, but the violence that erupted after his announcement points to murkier intentions, analysts believe.."Sadr is looking to become the most powerful Shiite political player in Iraq," Renad Mansour of British think tank Chatham House told AFP

"That is his agenda, and part of achieving that requires destabilising not just the political system as such, but particularly the Shiite house and building it back up with him at the centre of it."

Since the aftermath of the US-led invasion in 2003 that toppled longtime dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has been governed under a sectarian power-sharing system.

Sadr, whose father was one of Iraq's most respected Shiite clerics, has gradually grown into a key political player in this landscape, bolstered by a Shiite support base that he often mobilises to press his demands.

Since elections last October, disagreements between Sadr and a rival Iran-backed Shiite force known as the Coordination Framework have left Iraq without a new government, prime minister or president.

Tensions escalated sharply on Monday when Sadr loyalists stormed the government palace inside the Green Zone after he announced he was quitting politics.

But Sadr's supporters then left the Green Zone on Tuesday afternoon when he appealed for them to withdraw within the hour -- a demonstration of the cult-like following that earned him his kingmaker status.

At least 30 Sadr supporters had been shot dead and nearly 600 wounded in nearly 24 hours of fighting between rival Shiite factions.

"It's not the first time he has sent protesters in and then asked them to withdraw," Mansour said. "His goal, his ultimate aim, is to become the main Shia political force in Iraq."

- 'Zero-sum path' -

Sadr's bloc won 73 seats in the October elections, making it the largest faction in the 329-seat parliament.

The cleric has since tried a series of unsuccessful manoeuvres to "secure his dominance within the political system and exclude his rivals", said assistant professor Fanar Haddad of the University of Copenhagen.

Sadr failed to form a new government of his choosing despite attempts to forge an alliance with Sunni and Kurdish political camps.

In June, he ordered his 73 lawmakers to quit in a bid to destabilise the legislature, but that led instead to the Coordination Framework becoming the largest bloc in parliament.

The Coordination Framework's nomination of ex-cabinet minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister further angered Sadr who refused to be sidelined in forming a government.

Sadr's supporters stormed parliament on July 30, demanding fresh elections, and staged a sit-in outside the legislature for weeks.

But the Coordination Framework, which wants a new head of government appointed before any new polls, has not budged.

This latest episode in Baghdad's Green Zone was another tactical failure, Haddad said.

"The Coordination Framework have offered no conciliatory remarks, or concessions, or anything of the sort" after Sadr told his supporters to withdraw, Haddad said.

"This further pushes everyone down the zero-sum path of conflicting positions... the possibility for reconciliation seems to get slimmer, not wider."

- 'More escalation' -

Sadr is notorious for walking back on pledges to retire from politics -- a step he has made several times over the years.

His latest retirement announcement on Monday followed a series of tactical challenges to his political rise, including from within his own support base, said Sajad Jiyad, a fellow at the Century International think tank.

On Sunday, spiritual leader Ayatollah Kadhim al-Haeri, who provides religious cover for Sadr and counts many Sadr loyalists as his followers, announced his retirement and called on his base to back Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a blow to Sadr's legitimacy.

"It's an attack on Sadr as a person and a leader," Jiyad said.

"Haeri is a religious mentor for Sadr... and Moqtada was always keen to say that he is not acting by himself but has this religious cover from Haeri."

Faced with mounting challenges, Sadr now has limited options, the least likely of which involve him taking a step back, Jiyad said.

"He could start protests again and push back to prevent the Coordination Framework from forming a government," Jiyad added.

Sadr could also keep pushing for parliament to be dissolved and new elections, maybe even escalating through direct action that would paralyse the work of ministries and oilfields, the Iraq expert said.

"It looks like the stalemate could carry on for a while, but it also looks like there is more escalation in the future."

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/310820223

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Sadrist Movement calls for

removal of Hashd chairman

The Sadrist Movement on Thursday said in a “proposal” to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi that the head of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) Falih al-Fayyadh should be changed, claiming that he is not qualified for the position. This comes amid ongoing political tensions between the movement and Fayyadh’s coalition

Weeks of protest by the supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad’s Green Zone turned violent on Monday after clashes erupted between a militia group affiliated to Sadr and groups affiliated to the rival PMF. At least 30 people were killed in the clashes which continued until Sadr ordered supporters to withdraw from the high-security zone on Tuesday. The unrest followed months of political deadlock following the October 2021 parliamentary elections.

Salih Mohammed al-Iraqi, a figure who is close to Sadr and acts like a spokesperson for the movement, said in a statement on Thursday that they have five “proposals” for Kadhimi, with the first one demanding the removal of al-Fayyadh, chairman of the Popular Mobilisation Committee (PMC) - a board created by the Iraqi government to bring the PMF under central government control.

Al-Iraqi claimed that Fayyadh is the leader of a political party , is not a strong figure and lacks “military mentality.”

“In general, he is not qualified for this position,” concluded the Sadrist official.

Fayyadh is also a leader of the Coordination Framework which is Sadr’s main rival and became the biggest parliamentary bloc after Sadr withdrew from the legislature in June. Most of the Hashd leaders are in the coalition.

The Sadrist official also called on Kadhimi to remove militia groups from the Green Zone and replace them with the army.

Kadhimi is the commander-in-chief of armed forces, including the Hashd.

The United States Department of Treasury sanctioned Fayyadh last year "for his connection to serious human rights abuse.”

Fayyadh had a central role in the suppression of Iraq's popular, anti-government protests that began in October 2019, the Treasury said.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/010920222

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Baghdad residents remain fearful

Most shops remain closed following the chaos that took over the Iraqi capital earlier this week, with residents still feeling fearful despite the clashes ending

Samir Akram, a resident, told Rudaw’s Hiwa Hussamadin on that Tuesday “most of us live in panic and fear and our lives have been framed by fear. He added, “We ask God to solve our situation because the price of everything is increasing including fruits and vegetables.”

The closure of the city’s borders and pause in the movement of goods on Monday raised prices in the city, with locals complaining about the sudden surge.

“The price of a kilo of tomatoes reached 3,000 [$2] Iraqi dinars, a plastic sack of regular flour reached 50,000 [$34] Iraqi dinars, what happened? We cannot keep it up If things go this way from now,” Ali Musa, a municipal employee decried.

Clashes between militia groups erupted in the capital on Monday night, leading the Iraqi government to order a curfew across all Iraqi provinces as well as the closure of border crossings.

Once the violence ended, the city started to return to normality but locals still remain worried about what may come next.

Ten months after Iraq held snap parliamentary elections, political parties have failed to elect a president and prime minister. Sadr, the winner of the vote, announced his “definitive retirement” from politics on Monday. After this, his supporters began storming government institutions, including the Republican Palace.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/010920221

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KDP, PUK has joint candidate

There is a possibility for the Kurdish political giants - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - to present a joint candidate in the Iraqi parliament, a KDP official told Rudaw on Monday

“The atmosphere between the KDP and PUK is very good and they may enter the [next] parliamentary session with a single common candidate,” Bangin Rekani, a member of the KDP’s negotiating team in Baghdad told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman, adding that the atmosphere between the two Kurdish parties is “very good.”

Rekani believes that the existing “minor” issues between both parties can be resolved if a meeting occurs between KDP Vice President Nechirvan Barzani and PUK head Bafel Talabani.

Talabani conveyed to the KDP his intention of agreeing on a joint candidate for parliament, according to the KDP official.

Iraq is in the midst of a deep political deadlock. The country has failed to elect a government almost a year after early elections were held in October 2021 due to critical disagreements between different Shiite factions.

Prior to popular Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s resignation from parliament in June, the KDP and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance were in a tripartite alliance with the influential cleric, known as the Save the Homeland Alliance. Together, they had presented the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Interior Minister Reber Ahmed as their pick for Iraq’s presidency.

The PUK, however, entered an alliance with the pro-Iran Coordination Framework and backed incumbent Barham Salih for president.

Despite Rekani’s comments about the Kurdish political giants agreeing on a joint candidate, it is currently unclear who their pick will be.

Various parties from the Coordination Framework, along with the KDP and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance, are holding talks with the Sadrist Movement to find a solution and agree on early elections, Rekani mentioned, calling Iraq’s situation “very complicated” and saying there is “no other option.”

“The KDP is working hard to try to get the Sadrists to participate [in the government] … otherwise there will be no peace in Iraq,” he said.

Iraqi political leaders in early September agreed to work towards holding early elections in a meeting boycotted by Sadr.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/190920221

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Iraqi political deadlock

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received the Turkish ambassador to Iraq on Monday, discussing a range of topics, including the ongoing political uncertainty in Baghdad, according to a statement from Barzani’s office

“The meeting focused on developing the bilateral relations of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with Turkey, especially in the fields of economics, trade exchange, and collective cooperation. The President and the Ambassador of Turkey also discussed the latest developments in the political process, the issue of presidential election, and the ongoing efforts to form a new Iraqi Federal Government,” read the statement.

Barzani and Ali Riza Guney “agreed on the importance of protecting the stability and peace in Iraq for the continued stability of the wider region. They also highlighted the current period in Iraq and how to overcome the challenges through the cooperation of the country’s all political parties and communities, and utilizing Iraq’s vast natural resources,” it added.

Monday marks one full year following the early parliamentary elections in Iraq, which came as a result of nationwide anti-corruption protests. The elected legislature has failed in forming Iraq’s next cabinet during that one-year period, due to continued disagreements between the political blocs over the mechanism of its formation.

A delegation from the Running the State Coalition, consisting of officials from Shiite and Sunni winning political parties, arrived in Erbil on Monday, meeting with Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

A statement from the KDP leader’s office said that the attendees of the meeting agreed to study the subjects and reach a solution before the parliamentary session which is set to elect the president.

Dozens of Iraqi parliamentarians have called for a meeting to elect a president for the country but the parliament has not approved it. KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are racing for the mostly-ceremonial position.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/101020222

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Iraq marks one year since elections

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Monday urged Iraq’s political actors to “engage in dialogue without preconditions,” as the country marks one year since early elections were held, with a new government yet to be formed

Iraq held snap parliamentary elections on October 10, 2021, sparked by the nationwide anti-corruption protests that erupted in the country two years prior, but the elected legislature has failed to form Iraq’s next government due to prolonged disagreements between the political blocs over the mechanism of its formation.

“All actors must engage in dialogue without preconditions,” read a statement from UNAMI on Monday, adding that “through compromise, they must collectively agree on key outcomes that reaffirm their publicly stated objective, which is to service the needs of Iraqi people and establish a fully empowered and effective government.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also came out with an official statement on Monday calling on all political parties to cooperate and resolve the country’s current crisis through national dialogue in order to achieve peace and stability.

“In order to preserve peace and security, we adopted policies of dialogue, understanding, cooperation, and partnership during the past two years,” read Kadhimi’s statement.

Iraqi President Barham Salih also highlighted the importance of dialogue, adding that the past year served as a "harsh reminder of the missed opportunities for our country."

Iraqis took to the streets in October 2019 in massive protests against corruption and unemployment and called for the provision of basic services. The protests resulted in early elections, but the country's political future remains mired by instability.

The inability to form a government hinders the current caretaker cabinet from carrying out proper, long-term decisions to stabilize various sectors of the country, including its economy, following a clarification from Iraq's Federal Supreme Court last month addressing the current government's capabilities.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/10102022

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Focused on building consensus

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Parliament Deputy Speaker Dr. Hemin Hawrami on Tuesday told the new US Consul General in Kurdistan Region, Irvin Hicks Jr that the parliament's focus for the coming year is build more consensus and unity among the political parties

The both sides discussed political developments in Iraq and Kurdistan Region, human rights and civil liberties, and bilateral ties in several areas including trade and investment.

Moreover, the Parliament Deputy Speaker Hawrami congratulated Consul General Hicks on his appointment and wished him success.

They also discussed prospects for Iraqi government formation, which has stalled for months, and the latest efforts to reach an agreement.

"Dr. Hawrami outlined Kurdistan Parliament’s priorities for the coming year, which include building more consensus and unity among the political parties, the Kurdistan Region Election Law and preparations for the election, the draft Kurdistan Constitution, passing legislation that is of importance to people's daily lives and welfare such as the labour and social security bills, and reviewing the current investment law," a readout from the Kurdistan Parliament said.

Moreover, Deputy Speaker Hawrami and Consul General Hicks stressed the close friendship between the Kurdistan Region and the United States.

The US Consul General Hicks reportedly also said that the US hopes to develop more commercial and investment relations with Kurdistan Region. "They agreed on the importance of supporting and strengthening entrepreneurship and the private sector."

On Sunday, the majority of lawmakers voted for the extension of the current four-year term of the Kurdistan Parliament by one more year, the house’s speaker announced.

The approval came days after the members of parliament had been discussing a proposal that suggested extending the legislative term until December 31, 2023.

The extension was planned after the Kurdish political parties failed to hold the sixth parliamentary elections in Oct. 1, delaying it to an unknown date.

US Consul General Hicks also met with Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Dr. Rewaz Faiq, who underlined the political deadlock in Iraq is negatively affecting different aspects of life.

"The political instability has impacted all aspects of society, the economy and politics. Iraq is facing a tough test. Parties in disagreement must compromise to reach peaceful shores and end the public’s anxiety and despair," she reportedly said.

Moreover, she also underlined that "most of the political equations in the Kurdistan Region depend on the formation of the new Iraqi government and on agreement among the political parties in Baghdad."

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/29 ... nt-Speaker

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Latest bid to elect president

The Iraqi parliament is set to convene on Thursday in the latest bid to elect the country's next president following a year of turmoil in the country's shattered political climate that evolved into armed clashes between rival Shiite forces, with the leading Kurdish parties in Baghdad having failed to agree on a single presidential pick

Iraq's lawmakers are expected to meet in a session at 11 am to decide on which candidate will take the largely honorific post of the president. The main contestants for the race are fielded by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), with the KDP having put forth current Kurdistan Region's Interior Minister Reber Ahmed while the PUK backs incumbent Barham Salih for the role.

Iraq held snap parliamentary elections on October 10, 2021. However, over a year after snap elections were held, the parliament has on three occasions failed to elect a new president and has therefore been unable to form a new government.

Besides Salih and Ahmed, 78-year-old former water resources minister Latif Rashid, a former PUK official running as an independent, also has his eyes on the presidential post.

The KDP and PUK's decision to stick by their candidates and not agree on a single pick in Baghdad has greatly complicated efforts to elect the president.

"We make it clear to everyone that the official candidate of the PUK for the post of President of the Republic is Dr. Barham Salih," PUK spokesperson Soran Jamal Taher said on Wednesday, confirming his party's decision to back the incumbent president.

PUK leader Bafel Talabani called on parties of the pro-Iran Coordination Framework on Thursday to abide by the PUK's candidate and return their loyalty, as the PUK sided with the framework while the KDP was allied with their rival prominent cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Sunni blocs in a tripartite alliance before Sadr ordered his MPs to resign from the legislature.

"Dear brothers in the Coordination Framework and our other allies: We appeal to you on behalf of your brothers in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, who have always stood with you in the most difficult and darkest of circumstances, to be as we promised to you," Talabani said. However, it remains to be seen if Thursday's session will meet the expected quorum, with multiple parties, including the Emtidad Movement which was created by Tishreen (October) protestors, announcing that their MPs will boycott the session.

"Despite the huge challenges this country is facing, the mentality dominating ruling oligarchs clearly tell us that no serious reform to be expected; only some patrons will grow more powerful than rivals by more competently extorting public resources and directing them for personal profit," Harith Hasan, an expert at the Lebanon-based Carnegie Middle East Center tweeted, describing Iraqi politics as "personalistic" and one vastly engulfed by personal differences.

Once the crisis-ridden country elects a president, he will then appoint a prime minister and task the premier with negotiating with different political fronts to form the government.

According to a long-standing customary agreement, the three main leadership positions in the Iraqi government are divided among Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis. Kurds get the presidency, Shiites get the premiership, and Sunnis get the parliamentary speaker. Among Kurds, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has held on to the presidency position since 2005.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and PUK for years abided by an agreement, more commonly identified as the strategic agreement, where the PUK would get the Iraqi president of their choice, and the KDP in return would get the presidency of the Kurdistan Region.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/13102022

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Iraqi PM-designate

Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, the Iraqi prime minister-designate, on Thursday said that his government will seek strengthening relations between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), hours after he was tasked with forming the country’s next cabinet

After more than a year of political bickering since the parliamentary elections in October 2021, the Iraqi parliament voted in Latif Rashid as the country’s new president, following a lengthy race with former President Barham Salih. Rashid has now tasked Sudani to form the new government.

In his first remarks as PM-designate, Sudani said in a televised speech late Thursday that the upcoming Iraqi government will be committed to work “according to the constitution” in strengthening the relationship between Erbil and Baghdad, and “settling disputes and issues that have been lingering for a long time.”

Shakhawan Abdullah, second deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament told Rudaw earlier in the day that resolving the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad is one of the tasks of the upcoming Iraqi government and the Sudani's agenda.

“Tackling corruption will be a top priority of the government,” said Sudani, adding that his duties as PM-designate will began from the early hours following his tasking, as he seeks to form “a strong government that is determined to implement its goals and program through the synergy of the political forces.”

Sudani will have 30 days to name all ministers of his cabinet, or risk losing the position if he fails to do so.

The PM-designate also sent out “a message of cooperation, mutual understanding, and coordination” to Iraq’s neighboring countries, asking them to respect the country’s sovereignty and refrain from interfering its internal affairs, stating that Baghdad will not allow the use of Iraqi land “as an arena for aggression against others.”

Attacks on Iraq from neighboring countries, especially Turkey and Iran, have been widely criticized by the local and internal communities, calling on the countries to respect Iraq’s sovereignty.

At least 16 people were killed and over 50 others were injured when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil and Sulaimani provinces with ballistic missiles and suicide drones late last month, targeting bases of Kurdish opposition groups, whom they accuse of providing arms to the protesters in the country.

A tourist site in Duhok’s Zakho district was struck with artillery shelling in July, killing nine civilians, including children, and injuring 23 others. Baghdad and Erbil have attributed the attack to Turkey, but Ankara has denied the accusations on multiple occasions.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/14102022

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Militant groups cause trouble

Kurdistan 24 (ERBIL) – Following the formation of Iraq’s new government, outlawed militant groups have demanded top security positions in the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Shia’ Al-Sudani who pledged to disarm those forces

Hezbollah and other militia groups that are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are among those forces that have demanded positions in the new government, including Intelligence Service and National Security Council.

Their demands for key security positions have been declined so far by the new premier.

“If these militant groups or those who fund them will be given high-security positions, then who would be able to disarm them? Because if they are given any security positions, they would spill blood and kidnap people on the streets. People only want stability. That is why Sudani must be aware not give any positions to these militias,” Ibrahim Quraishi, a Baghdad-based civil rights activist, told Kurdistan24 on Saturday.

Since a number of those forces are affiliated with the parties that played a key role in forming the government, Al-Sudani will not be able to reject their demands, said a lawyer.

“If he grants any security positions to these militias, that would be against his cabinet’s agendas,” Majid Hassnawi, a lawyer in Baghdad, told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday.

Over a year after October 2021 parliamentary elections, the political parties of the Running the state Coalition were able to break the political deadlock on Thursday as they formed the new government headed by Al-Sudani.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/29 ... ew-premier

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Two Kurdish ministers, comple cabinet

Iraq’s parliament convened on Saturday, approving two Kurdish ministers over one month after Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani’s cabinet was formed. The vote completed the 23-minister cabinet

Sudani was tasked with forming a new government on October 13, after more than a year of political bickering since the parliamentary elections in October 2021. The parliament approved 21 members of the cabinet in late October.

However, due to disputes between both Kurdish ruling parties - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - voting on two ministers was postponed.

The legislature convened on Saturday, approving KDP’s Bangin Rekani as the minister of construction and housing and PUK’s Nizar Mohammed as the minister of environment, reported Iraqi state media. 

Two Kurds were among the ministers who were approved in October. Fuad Hussein from the KDP remained in his position as foreign minister and Khalid Shwani from the PUK became minister of justice. 

The KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) had been at loggerheads over who should become the president of Iraq. Each initially fielded different candidates but on October 13, with the support of the KDP, the Kurdish independent candidate Abdul Latif Rashid was elected the president of the country. Rashid has been a long-time member of the PUK.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/03122022

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Rumors of cabinet reshuffle

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday denied rumors circulating on social media platforms about a cabinet reshuffle as “baseless and untrue.”

The Iraqi premier had said upon taking office that his government would evaluate the performance of ministers “based on professional standards” after six months, with the changes having been expected to take place after Eid al-Fitr.

Earlier in April, rumors circulating on social media platforms suggested that key ministers, including oil and electricity, will be replaced after the Muslim holiday, pending a final decision from the pro-Iran Coordination Framework who back Sudani and compose the majority of his cabinet.

“We are aware of reports circulating on social media platforms about changes in senior government positions in the Iraqi state. We would like to clarify that all of these reports are baseless and untrue,” a statement from Sudani’s office read, urging instead for the referral to official media platforms in the event of changes taking place.

Sudani, the candidate of the Iran-backed Coordination Framework, was selected to form the new Iraqi government on October 13 after over a year of tense political deadlock and infighting between pro-Iran factions and Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s loyalists.

Upon taking office later in the month, Sudani vowed to tackle “the pandemic of corruption” and labeled it as one of his foremost priorities.

The premier has also not shied away from dismissing officials from senior positions. On Thursday, he sacked the commander of the Special Division in Baghdad for “insufficient action” after an official convicted of corruption and fraud escaped from a prison which he oversaw security in.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/230420231