Iraq's Parliament: High pay, low productivity

Shafaq News

21 hours ago

Shafaq News
Beneath the domed chamber of Iraq's parliament, 329 legislators convene in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone. Most receive an average of 1.296 billion Iraqi dinars—over $980,000—across a single four-year term, covering salaries, security detail stipends, and housing allowances. Yet, behind these quietly mounting figures, a deeper paradox unfolds: a costly institution producing a sparse legislative output—and little accountability over its own financial privileges.
Since its inauguration in January 2022, the current parliament—the fifth since the 2003 US-led invasion—has been mired in political fragmentation and persistent gridlock. Sessions have dwindled to a fraction of what is mandated, some canceled amid partisan clashes, others never held due to lack of quorum. Key legislation, including the long-awaited oil and gas law and reforms to the federal judiciary, remains stalled.
The Cost of Representation
Shafaq News conducted a months-long review of official budget data, internal financial documents, and interviews with current and former MPs to calculate the real cost of parliamentary service to the Iraqi state.
Findings reveal stark variations in pay across electoral cycles, absent any consistent financial oversight or transparency. During the first and second parliamentary terms, MPs earned a base salary of 12 million dinars monthly, in addition to 40 million for security and 3 million for rent—regardless of whether they lived outside Baghdad. Totaling 55 million dinars per month, the cost per MP during that period surpassed 2.6 billion dinars over four years.
Although partial reductions were introduced during the third and fourth sessions—dropping the salary to 7 million dinars and cutting protection allowances to 16 million—total monthly costs remained substantial.
In the current session, each MP receives 8 million dinars in salary, 16 million for security, and a 3-million-dinar housing stipend for non-Baghdad residents, amounting to 27 million dinars monthly, or 324 million annually. Across 329 legislators, the yearly wage and benefits burden surpasses 426 billion dinars ($290 million), excluding administrative overhead, employee salaries, and committee-related expenses.
A Dysfunctional Institution
Despite generous allocations, Iraq's parliament held only 132 sessions between 2022 and spring 2025—far fewer than the 256 sessions required under internal regulations. That figure reflects both calendar disruptions and internal paralysis, most visibly marked by the leadership vacuum following the dismissal of Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi in November 2023 over allegations of forging a resignation letter—a first since 2003.
Several lawmakers described the legislative process as directionless. 'Debate has become a proxy for political maneuvering,' said a former MP.
Major bills—including a controversial 2023 three-year budget and amendments to the General Amnesty Law—were passed, but dozens more remain stalled due to a lack of consensus or absenteeism.
Discretionary Spending and Loopholes
The cost of maintaining MPs extends beyond official salaries. Security stipends are intended to cover the wages of up to 16 guards per legislator, but interviews suggest this money is often repurposed.
'Some MPs only hire a driver or a single aide,' said a former parliamentarian. 'The rest is quietly diverted to office expenses or personal use. On paper, it's all proper, but the reality is more flexible.'
In a country grappling with crushing public debt and underfunded health and education sectors, these opaque privileges raise urgent questions about national priorities. Although lawmakers voted in 2011 to scale back their benefits following public pressure, enforcement remains weak.
In 2018, Iraq's Supreme Federal Court issued a decision mandating reductions in MP salaries—especially for those without advanced degrees. However, implementation was uneven, and key exemptions diluted the ruling's budgetary impact.
Government officials speaking on condition of anonymity told Shafaq News that new perks have quietly been added through internal resolutions that bypass media scrutiny. 'The reductions were cosmetic,' one official said. 'In reality, there have been hidden increases.'
Legal Shielding and Structural Conflicts
The entrenchment of these privileges is reinforced by two legislative frameworks: Law No. 13 of 2018, which governs parliament's functioning, and Law No. 28 of 2011, which regulates MP salaries and benefits. Both equate lawmakers to ministers in terms of entitlements—a status that can only be modified through parliamentary vote, effectively allowing legislators to set their own pay.
Legal expert Alaa Shwan described this as a textbook conflict of interest. 'We're looking at an institution that writes its own rules, then legalizes its benefits in the name of constitutional authority,' he said.
While public criticism over wasteful spending has intensified amid economic hardship, efforts to curb privileges have largely stalled. Without an independent oversight mechanism or budgetary accountability, analysts warn that the gap between parliamentary cost and public value will continue to grow.
'This isn't just about numbers,' Shwan added. 'It's about a broken system that rewards dysfunction—and shields itself from reform.'