Iraq Business News brings you the latest Iraqi politics news, keeping you up to date with the latest information and developments.
By John Lee. According to a report from Reuters, the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has started selling local bonds worth 1.5 trillion Iraqi dinars ($1.29 billion). The first local bonds sale to the public since 2003 is aimed at relieving the government budget deficit caused by falling oil prices and the costs of fighting […]
By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Islamist parties have dominated the Iraqi political scene since the first elections in 2005 after the fall of Saddam Hussein. As a reaction to their long history of being repressed under Saddam's regime — […]
By John Lee. An article this week by The Economist describes Iraq as "the ungovernable country". It says: "The economy, meanwhile, is unravelling. The government gets most of its money from oil sales, but the price of the stuff has collapsed. Parliament passed a budget of 107 trillion dinars ($100 billion) for 2016—and projects a […]
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Thousands of angry protesters broke into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Saturday and stormed the parliament building after lawmakers again failed to approve new ministers:
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. After months of relatively peaceful protests, anti-government demonstrations in Baghdad have turned violent. A state of emergency was declared across the Iraqi capital following the storming of the Green Zone. The heavily fortified […]
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani yesterday received a delegation of The Netherland's Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee headed by Committee Chairperson Ms. Angeline Eijsink, along with representatives of political parties at the Dutch Parliament. The delegation praised the people, government, and the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Region, who, under very difficult circumstances, have been combating the […]
By John Lee. Dimitris Tsitsiragos, the Vice President of the World Bank's private sector investment arm, told Reuters on Thursday that the bank had arranged $375 million in financing for an Iraqi power company. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will provide a debt and equity package of $250 million, with another $125 million from Lebanon's […]
The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) has reportedly shut down the Baghdad bureau of Al Jazeera Media Network and banned its journalists from reporting in the country. According to a report from Al Jazeera, in a letter to the company on Wednesday, the CMC said it was withdrawing the licence that allowed Al Jazeera […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Mass protests against Iraq’s government have once again swamped the streets of Baghdad. They want the government out and new leadership that prioritises eliminating corruption. The political standoff in Iraq’s parliament is having […]
By John Lee. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Baghdad to protest at a months-long political crisis and lack of reform, according to BBC News. Supporters of the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (pictured) marched towards the Green Zone to press Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to push ahead with his plan […]
By Simon Kent. As Iraq's political crisis drags on, Moqtada al Sadr's erratic posturing continues. Last month, he called for mass demonstrations outside of the International Zone in Baghdad, formerly the Green Zone, and threatened to storm the area with protesters unless PM Abadi appointed a technocratic cabinet. But when Abadi announced 14 nominees, Al […]
By Simon Kent. According to Judge Sedqi Salimkhan, the Integrity Commission of the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI) is reviewing 21 corruption cases including an official from the Sulaimani Immigration Department who has been accused of spending funds intended for internally displaced people (refugees.) The anti-corruption initiative is part of a wave of reforms that Kurdish President […]
