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. 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 […]
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi lawmakers held an all-night sit-in at parliament protesting efforts by powerful political blocs to maintain control of key government posts, pushing the speaker to convene an emergency session Wednesday.
By John Lee. Several dozen members of Iraq's parliament held an overnight sit-in in the parliament building to demand that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stick to his plans for cabinet reform. In central Basra, several hundred supporters of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr blocked the main street voicing similar demands, according to Reuters. Abadi was forced to […]
By John Lee. Iraqi Oil Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi [Adil Abd Al-Mahdi] (pictured) has said he is "suspending his participation" in cabinet meetings, until parliament votes on his resignation, which he offered last summer. He has also cancelled all appointments and activities relating to his position as Minister, saying that his decision was aimed at "confronting […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Parliament has set a deadline of Thursday this week for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to present a new cabinet. Nearly two months ago, Abadi said he would replace the current ministers with “technocrat” figures who are no affiliated with political parties. "If Abadi fails to present his new cabinet, he […]
By Omar Sattar, for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi thought to be working on reforms that include the formation of a technocratic Cabinet, the issue of proxy appointments is back in the spotlight. For more than a […]
By Dr. Kamal Field Al Basri and Mr. Mudher Sebahi, of the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform (IIER). This article questions whether the government’s attempt to reform the economy is going to be successful. To achieve that end, it discusses why some countries that used identical polices are successful in reforming their economy while others […]
This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. No Vacancies: 7 Million Iraqi Govt Employees Fear For Their Jobs Locals employed by the government fear the financial crisis may see them lose their jobs. Nobody seems to be […]
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. The Iraqi government faces a huge budget deficit and is having difficulty running the country’s economic activities because of plummeting oil prices, the heavy burden of the war against the Islamic State and rampant […]
