BAGHDAD, Iraq – The Iraqi government’s intention to turn four districts into provinces is illegal and opens a can of worms that is dangerous for the country and likely to fuel greater sectarian violence, according to analysts, lawmakers and politicians.
Last month, Iraq's Council of Ministers said it has decided to turn the districts of Tuz Khurmatu, Talafar into provinces and recommended a study to turn the Nineveh Plain and Fallujah into additional Iraqi provinces.
The ministers’ decision, which followed a resolution in December to turn Halabja into a province, needs the approval of the Iraqi parliament.
But the announcement has caused an uproar, with districts such as al-Rifaai, al-Zubair, Khanaqin and al-Massib also demanding provincial status. The provinces of Salahaddin and Mosul, meanwhile, have threatened to declare themselves as autonomous regions.
“In light of the political conflicts that are driven by political and partisan interests, this decision will not be the right one, as it will generate a lot of crises and will surely be manipulated by many,” strategic expert Mohammad al-Faisal said.
“How beneficial and feasible is this decision to the Iraqi state? This question clearly reveals the open political and security war existing in Iraq,” Faisal charged.
“Creating new regions in Iraq, based on sectarian considerations, is still inspiring the conflicting parties,” he said. “This is a tit-for-tat game.”
Liqa Wardi, an MP from the Sunni Al-Iraqiya party, agreed with Faisal.
“The conversion of some districts into provinces at this stage, due to ethnic or sectarian considerations, is not suitable; it will foment division and increase rivalry among citizens,” she warned.
Wardi accused the Iraqi government of raising the issue for political gain in the Iraqi legislative elections, due in April.
“It's a political demand for a particular bloc, aimed to serve as an advertising campaign in the upcoming elections,” she charged.
“The government's unilateral policy is indirectly pushing for the formation of regions through the adoption of policies of exclusion, marginalization, and injustice,” she said. “It is the government itself that pushes the districts to make these demands; it’s an underlying governmental desire.”
Meanwhile Aliya Nassif, an MP from the Free Iraqiya party, questioned the powers of the Council of Ministers.
“The Council does not have the power to convert the districts into the provinces,” she said, noting it was against constitutional laws and amendments.
She advised the ministers to: “Legislate a law that would regulate the mechanisms of creating new provinces... so that the matters would take their legal form and would not conflict with the constitution.”
“The (ministerial) decision leaves the door open for many districts to turn into provinces and regions, without taking into account the social, the financial and security aspects,” Nassif warned.
“Each new province will need to form a local government and directorates and the demarcation of the new administrative and Provincial Council,” she noted. “Thus, the damage will be greater than the benefit."
Iraq’s Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, said last week that the creation of any new province is "illegal."
“At the time of the former regime, there was a law called the law of the provinces which allowed the formation of new provinces from districts under certain conditions. But the new amended law has canceled this rule,” said Nujaifi, one of Iraq’s top Sunni politicians.
