Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: IHEC Disqualifies More Candidates; PMF Personnel to Participate in Special Voting – On October 29, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced that special voting for Iraqi security and military personnel will take place on November 9, two days before the general elections. More than 1.3 million people from various security agencies are eligible to vote. These include 597,453 from the Ministry of Interior, 298,054 from the Ministry of Defense, 18,410 from the Counter-Terrorism Service, 124,312 from the KRG Ministry of Interior, 145,907 from the Peshmerga, and 128,127 from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). This marks the first time the PMF leadership has provided IHEC with personnel data for the purpose of including them in the special vote. This issue was a point of contention between IHEC and the PMF in 2021, when the PMF’s reluctance to share personnel information prevented its fighters from casting their ballots during the special voting period. In related developments, IHEC continued to disqualify additional candidates from running in the upcoming November election, four weeks after certifying the final lists of eligible contenders. The latest disqualifications include former lawmaker Taha al-Lihaibi, on the grounds that he insulted Iraq’s armed forces, and incumbent lawmaker Hussein Arab, on the grounds that he failed to substantiate his education records. These decisions bring the total number of disqualified candidates to nearly 840. more…
• SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: The Kurdistan Workers’ Party Pulls Its Fighters to Iraq – On October 26, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced that it is withdrawing all its fighters from Turkish territory to the “legitimate defense zones” located within Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. The party described this move, which comes a few months after it began laying down its weapons, as a new phase in its pursuit of peace and a democratic society. PKK leaders called on the Turkish government to take urgent political and legal measures to support the peace process by enacting transitional laws to regulate the status of PKK fighters and enable their democratic integration and participation in political life. It remains unclear how many PKK fighters will enter Iraq from Turkey as part of this decision. In other developments, on October 26, Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service troops defused a motorcycle rigged with explosives near the residence of Kirkuk governor Rebwar Talabani. On the same day, tribal clashes in Dhi-Qar and Maysan involving heavy weapons killed at least one person and wounded eight. On October 29, a gunfight erupted during an election campaign event in Wasit province, killing at least one person and wounding three others. more…
• ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Oil Exports Up in September; New Refinery Comes Online; Iraq Signs Contract for Floating LNG Platform – On October 25, Iraq’s Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) reported that crude oil exports in September averaged 3.405 million barrels per day (bpd), about 54,000 bpd above August. The exports generated $6.962 billion in revenue, roughly $200 million less than in August. All reported exports came from fields in southern and central Iraq; the data did not include exports from the Kurdistan Region via Turkey, which resumed on September 27. Also on October 25, Iraq’s Oil Ministry inaugurated a newly completed oil refining facility in Basra that uses Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) technology to produce high-octane gasoline and other refined petroleum products from heavy fuel oil. With the new 55,000 bpd facility coming online, Iraqi oil officials expect to end gasoline imports going forward. On October 28, Iraq signed an agreement with U.S.-based Excelerate Energy to install a floating platform to process imported liquefied natural gas (LNG). The $450 million facility will be located at the southern port of Khor al-Zubair and will be able to receive and regasify up to 500 million cubic feet of gas per day. The platform is a key part of Iraq’s effort to source LNG from producers such as Oman and Algeria to reduce dependence on gas and electricity imports from Iran. In other developments, on October 25, Iraq’s Ministry of Industry announced that it had signed a partnership agreement with an unnamed company to establish a solar panel factory capable of producing enough panels to generate 750 megawatts of electricity annually. On October 28, the Iraqi government approved a proposal to award an investment contract to a consortium led by Corporación América Airports (CAAP) to develop and operate Baghdad International Airport. On October 30, Iraq and Greece announced that direct flights between Baghdad and Athens will commence on December 1. more…

For more background on most of the institutions, key actors, political parties, and locations mentioned in our takeaways or in the stories that follow, see the ISHM Reference Guide.

POLITICS: IHEC Disqualifies More Candidates; PMF Personnel to Participate in Special Voting

On October 23, the Karkh Investigative Court in Baghdad asked parliament to lift the immunity of lawmaker Yassin Mohammed Khalaf al-Ithawi. In a document circulating online, the court’s request cited a lawsuit filed by former speaker of parliament, Mohammed al-Halbousi in which the latter complained that Ithawi made televised remarks that contained “insults” aimed at the former speaker. The court, citing Article (433/1) of the Penal Code, which pertains to the crime of defamation, said that lifting the lawmaker’s immunity is necessary to conduct the investigation.

On October 27, news reports said that an investigation court in Anbar province issued a subpoena for Education Minister Ibrahim Namis al-Jubouri in connection with an investigation about allegations of fraud. A court document circulating online shows that Jubouri was required to appear in court within three days or face an arrest warrant. The details of the fraud allegations facing the minister remain unclear. 

On October 29, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) continued to disqualify more candidates from running in the upcoming November election, a full four weeks after it certified the final lists of candidates who are eligible to compete. The latest disqualifications include former lawmaker Taha al-Lihaibi, on grounds that he insulted Iraq’s armed forces, and incumbent lawmaker Hussein Arab, on grounds that failed to substantiate his education records. This brings the number of disqualified candidates close to 840. 

On October 29, IHEC announced that the special voting for Iraqi security and military personnel will take place on November 9, two days before the general parliamentary elections. According to IHEC spokesperson, Jumana al-Ghalai, more than 1.3 million individuals from various security agencies are eligible to vote. These include 1,595 border crossings personnel, 597,453 from the Ministry of Interior, 298,054 from the Ministry of Defense, 18,410 from the Counter-Terrorism Service, and 128,127 from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). In the Kurdistan Region, 124,312 personnel from the regional Ministry of Interior and 145,907 from the Peshmerga forces are also eligible to vote. It’s worth noting that this is the first time the PMF leadership has provided IHEC with its personnel information for the purpose of including them in the special vote. This was a point of contention between IHEC and the PMF in 2021, when the PMF’s reluctance to provide personnel data resulted in its fighters losing the ability to cast their ballots during the special vote. The special voting period is designed to accommodate the special circumstances of eligible voters like members of the security forces, hospital workers, and admitted patients and allow them to vote outside of the general voting period. 

Sources cited in this section include: Mawazin, Iraq Observer, Baghdad Today, al-Sumaria, Bas News, ISHM archive. 

SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: The Kurdistan Workers’ Party Pulls Its Fighters to Iraq

On October 24, local government officials in Basra said that a small improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near the University Hospital in central Basra. The explosion resulted in minor material damages but did not cause casualties. 

On October 25, security sources in Najaf province said that unidentified individuals used a stun grenade in an attack that targeted the home of a civil society activist. The attack, which took place in the al-Hurriyah subdistrict near al-Kufa, only caused minor material damages. 

On October 26, the Dhi-Qar police said that armed clashes erupted between tribes in the Sayyid Dikhil district, east of Nasiriyah. The violent clashes left at least six people wounded and set a building and a vehicle on fire, the police added. Police forces who responded to the clashes were also fired upon by the tribal gunmen, the Interior Ministry noted, adding that 27 suspects were arrested from both involved tribes. To the east, in Maysan province, security sources said on Wednesday that violent tribal clashes took place in al-Kahla district, south of Amara. The fighting, in which one side used mortar fire, killed at least one person and wounded two.   

On October 26, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced that it is withdrawing all its fighters from Turkish territory to the “legitimate defense zones” located within Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. The party described this move, which comes a few months after the group began laying down its weapons, as a new phase in the path toward peace and a democratic society. In a press conference held in the Qandil Mountains, PKK leaders called on the Turkish government to take urgent political and legal measures to support the peace process by enacting transitional laws to regulate the status of PKK fighters and enable democratic integration and participation in political life. PKK spokesman Zagron Hiwa told Reuters that the party is “on the path to executing leader Ocalan’s peace project,” adding that Ankara must reciprocate with “political changes and prepare a suitable environment for the project to be implemented.” It is unclear how many PKK fighters will enter Iraq from Turkey as part of this decision. 

On October 26, Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) troops seized and defused a motorcycle that was rigged to explode near the residence of Kirkuk governor Rebwar Talabani, security sources in the province said. Several suspects have been arrested by authorities as part of the investigation, the sources added.  

On October 27, security sources in Basra province said that an Iraqi explosives removal expert was killed in a landmine explosion. The incident occurred during demining operations in the Khidr al-Mai region in the remote Safwan district along the border with Kuwait. 

On October 29, Basra police officials said that unidentified gunmen opened fire on a member of the State of Law coalition who’s running in the upcoming parliamentary election. The drive-by shooting damaged the targeted individual’s vehicle but there were no casualties. To the north, in Wasit province, a gunfight erupted during a campaign event for another member of State of Law in the district of al-Hay. The fighting killed at least one person and wounded three others, according to local sources. 

Sources cited in this section include: Shafaq, Mawazin, Baghdad Today, INA, Peregraf, ISHM archive, Reuters, NINA, Iraq Observer. 

ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Oil Exports Up in September; New Refinery Comes Online; Iraq Signs Contract for Floating LNG Platform

On October 25, Iraq’s Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) published data showing that crude oil exports during September totaled more than 102.15 million barrels, for an average of 3.405 million barrels per day (bpd). The September exports are about 54,000 bpd above the levels SOMO reported for August. SOMO data said the exports generated $6.962 billion in revenue, about $200 million lower than August’s revenue of $7.162 billion. All of the exports reported came from fields in southern and central Iraq and were exported through the ports of Basra. The data did not include exports by trucks to Jordan or by pipeline to Turkey from the Kurdistan region, which resumed on September 27. 

On October 25, Iraq’s Ministry of Industry said it signed a partnership agreement with an unnamed company to establish a solar panel factory. The planned factory will manufacture enough solar panels to generate 750 megawatts of electricity each year, according to a spokeswoman for the ministry. The spokeswoman did not provide details about the cost or timeline of the project.

On October 25, Iraq’s Oil Ministry inaugurated a newly completed oil refining facility at the Basra Refinery that utilizes Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) technology to produce high-octane gasoline and other refined petroleum products from heavy fuel oil. The 55,000 bpd facility was built with the help of a $380 million loan provided by Japan’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA). With the new facility coming online, Iraqi oil officials expect the country to stop importing gasoline going forward. 

On October 26, an explosion occurred at an oil depot at al-Burjusiyah, near the Zubeir oil field in Basra. Oil officials attributed the explosion to an accident that affected a turbine at the facility, which moves and stores crude oil destined for Iraq’s export platforms on the Gulf. The Oil Ministry said at least one oil worker was killed and four other people injured as a result of the explosion, which ignited a large fire. The incident temporarily reduced Iraq’s oil export capacity by 600,000 bpd, according to Oil Minister Hayan Abdulghani. Normal export levels were restored by Tuesday, the minister said in a subsequent statement.    

On October 28, Iraq’s Oil Ministry signed an agreement with U.S. firm Excelerate Energy to install a floating platform to process imported liquified natural gas (LNG), a government statement said. The future facility will cost $450 million and will be located at the southern port of Khor al-Zubeir, Iraqi energy officials told Reuters. It will be able to receive and regasify up to 500 million cubic feet of gas per day, according to the company. The platform is critical to Iraq’s efforts to source LNG from producers like Oman and Algeria with the goal of reducing reliance on gas and electricity from Iran. Iraq is already building a 40-kilometer pipeline to transport gas from the future platform at Khor al-Zubeir port to the national gas distribution grid near Basra from where it will supply the country’s power plants. 

On October 28, the Iraqi government approved a proposal to award an investment contract to develop and operate Baghdad’s international airport to a consortium led by Corporacion America Airports (CAAP), a government statement said. The Iraqi Transportation Ministry will negotiate and conclude the final contract with the consortium in consultation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which has been advising Baghdad in identifying an investor. The project, which will be structured as public-private partnership (PPP), is estimated to cost $764 million.

On October 30, the Foreign Minister of Greece, Giorgos Gerapetritis, visited Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials that focused on cooperation in trade, transportation, water management and agriculture, and tourism and cultural exchanges. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, the Greek minister announced that direct flights between Baghdad and Athens will commence on December 1. 

Sources cited in this section include: SOMO, ISHM archive, Shafaq, Peregraf, Rudaw, Mawazin, Iraq’s Oil Minisitry, INA, al-Sumaria, Reuters. 

Derived from firsthand accounts and Iraq-based Arabic and Kurdish news sources, the Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor is a free publication of the Enabling Peace in Iraq Center.

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