Iraq breaks political deadlock, challenges lie ahead

Aveen Karim

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday approved a new government, and while the step has been welcomed for ending over a year of political deadlock, countless new challenges lie ahead. 

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani‘s 21-member government was voted in during a tense parliamentary session. The new premier vowed to combat rampant corruption, unemployment, and to provide basic services. 

“Our ministerial team will shoulder the responsibility at this critical period in which the world is witnessing tremendous political and economic changes and conflicts,” Sudani’s office said in a statement. He added that these changes “will add new challenges to our country, which is already suffering from accumulated crises that have had economic, social, humanitarian and environmental impacts on our citizens.”

Rampant corruption plagues all levels of the Iraqi state while unemployment has been on the rise, adding to an ongoing economic crisis, exacerbated by the political deadlock which has frozen the much-needed 2022 budget. 

“The epidemic of corruption that has affected all aspects of life is more deadly than the Corona pandemic,” the statement read.

Sudani, the candidate of the Iran-backed Coordination Framework, also promised to hold early parliamentary elections within a year. 

Analysts say that despite breaking the deadlock, the new government is set to face a number of obstacles.

“The fulfilment of the enormous expectations outlined in the Ministerial Programme will be one of the primary obstacles this government will encounter,” Research Associate at Chatham House, Hayder al-Shakeri, told Rudaw English on Friday.

“For instance, fighting corruption throughout and organizing early elections one year later. This will not occur while attempting to maintain the satisfaction of the political elite who have empowered Sudani to become Prime Minister,” Shakeri argues. 

The United Nation’s mission to Iraq (UNAMI) also said on Thursday that the government “faces many serious challenges that require decisive action.” Among these are “ending impunity and making perpetrators accountable; and reining in non-state armed actors while asserting the State’s authority.”

Thursday’s parliament vote came just over a year since snap parliamentary elections were held last October, resulting in a victory for prominent Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. After failing to gather support to form a government, the Sadrist bloc consisting of 73 MPs resigned from parliament in June. 

Months of political stalemate followed and the peak of tension between the rival Shiite factions manifested into deadly clashes in September which left at least 30 people dead, marking the worst violence the capital had witnessed in years. 

Sadr, who strongly opposed Sudani’s candidacy to the prime minister position, has largely remained on the sidelines of the recent political process, with his next move yet to be seen. 

“Sadrists continue to retain senior posts within the government, and they will maintain and utilize these positions in addition to employing their street-level support to safeguard their interests,” Shakeri noted, adding that Sudani is aware of this and will “not attempt to stir the pot too much, hence the pledge to conduct early elections in one year.”

Following Sadr’s withdrawal from politics, his rivals in the Coordination Framework entered an alliance with Sunni and Kurdish parties aimed at forming a government. Abdul Latif Rashid was elected as president on October 13 following months of bickering between the main Kurdish parties over the candidate. 

Hopes for a fresh startin Erbil-Baghdad relations

Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani expressed his support for the new government, hoping for a “new beginning between Erbil and Baghdad - one that fosters cooperation over conflict and dialogue over confrontation.”

The Region’s President Nechirvan Barzani echoed similar remarks, calling for the existing issues to be resolved “through dialogue and within the framework of the constitution.” 

Tension between Erbil and Baghdad has been high since the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court in February deemed the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law “unconstitutional”, hence striking the independence of the Region’s energy sector and jeopardizing its industry. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has repeatedly challenged the constitutionality of the court’s ruling.

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

After he was tasked with the formation of the new government and appointed prime minister-designate, Sudani said 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.” 

The new prime minister took over the position of Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who led a caretaker government after widespread anti-government protests engulfed most of Iraq in 2019. 

In his departing speech, Kadhimi defended the achievements of his government despite an investigation concluding that $2.5 billion dollars in tax funds were stolen from a bank by five companies during the tenure of former finance minister Ali Allawi. 

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday congratulated Sudani on forming a new government, saying that “Iraq has a partner in the United States as it moves forward with reforms.”