Key Takeaways: Draft Budget Changes Raise Strong KRG Objections; Iraq’s Top Court Says Extending The Kurdistan Parliament’s Term Was Unconstitutional – On May 25, the parliamentary finance committee made several last minute amendments to the 2023-2025 federal budget bill. The changes, which require the KRG to compensate public servants for withholdings made during the region’s […]
EPIC
Enabling Peace in Iraq Center is an independent 501(c)3 organization dedicated to supporting Iraqi efforts to improve governance and human rights, build peace, and address climate change.
Iraq’s Electoral Democracy on the Line: A Call for Extending UNAMI’s Mandate
By EPIC’s Editorial Team On April 19, Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, Chairman of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), reportedly resigned under pressure from influential political factions, raising concerns about the integrity of Iraq’s electoral system. This development, coupled with recent amendments to Iraq’s election law (published here), poses a formidable challenge to the progress […]
ISHM: MAY 18 – 25, 2023
Key Takeaways: UNAMI Presents New Update On Iraq; Sudani Attends Arab League Summit; KDP-PUK Disputes Over Regional Elections Intensify – On May 18, UNAMI’s Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert delivered a new briefing to the Security Council that reaffirmed that Sudani’s government has “shown its resolve to tackle…pressing issues” facing Iraq, and commended its “express stance” against corruption” […]
ISHM: May 11 – 18, 2023
Key Takeaways: Sudani Fires More Director Generals; Tensions Rise Among Iraqi Christians; PUK Rejoins The KRG Cabinet; IHEC Elects New Chairman – On May 11, government documents showed that PM Sudani issued new orders to sack another group of 25 director generals in various ministries. The move came two weeks after Sudani removed 57 director […]
ISHM: May 4 – 11, 2023
Key Takeaways: Neighbors Attend Water Conference In Baghdad; Halbousi Faces New Political Threats; PUK To End Its Boycott Of KRG Cabinet Meetings – On May 6, Iran’s Energy Minister and Syria’s Irrigation Minister visited Baghdad to participate in an international conference on water organized by the Iraqi government. Turkish ministers declined to attend and sent […]
ISHM: April 27 – May 4, 2023
Key Takeaways: Kataib Hezbollah Sues Former PM Kadhimi Over Soleimani’s Assassination; Sudani’s Government Replaces Dozens Of Director Generals – On April 30, the general prosecutor in Iraq asked the central investigation court to look into allegations by a lawmaker affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah that implicate former PM Kadhimi in the U.S. drone strike that killed […]
ISHM: APRIL 20 – 27, 2023
Key Takeaways: Resignation Raises Concerns About Threats To IHEC’s Independence – On April 25, news reports said that powerful parties within the Coordination Framework plan to replace the current leadership of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) with a new one comprising “partisan representatives disguised as experts.” The report comes less than a week after […]
ISHM: APRIL 13 – 20, 2023
Key Takeaways: Parliamentary Report Questions Excessive Spending In Proposed Budget; Cabinet Reshuffle May Be Imminent – On April 17, the parliamentary finance committee released a detailed report criticizing several aspects of the three-year budget proposed by PM Sudani’s cabinet. The report highlighted several staggering increases in spending and staffing allocated to various government departments. Remarkably, […]
ISHM: APRIL 6 – 13, 2023
Key Takeaways: Barzani Invites Sadr To Return To Politics; Anbar Corruption Case Increases Pressure On Halbousi – On April 8, KRG President Nechirvan Barzani called on Muqtada al-Sadr to “initiate new, multilateral talks” with Iraq’s political powers, saying such dialogue was necessary “to consolidate the political system…and find a political solution within Iraq.” On April […]
ISHM: March 30 – April 6, 2023
Key Takeaways: Baghdad And Erbil Reach “Temporary” Deal To Resume Oil Exports Through Turkey – On April 4, Iraq’s Oil Ministry and the KRG Natural Resources Ministry signed a temporary agreement to resume oil exports from fields in Kurdistan and Kirkuk via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. Exports were suspended after Iraq won an arbitration case against […]