Iraq's Provincial Councils: Dysfunctional return deepens public disillusionment

Shafaq News

3 days ago

Shafaq News
Eighteen months after Iraq reinstated provincial councils through elections held in December 2023, what was intended as a milestone for local democratic renewal has instead descended into institutional paralysis. Across the country, these councils—originally designed to decentralize authority and improve service oversight—are now widely seen as symbols of political infighting, legal uncertainty, and eroded public trust.
The councils' revival followed a decade-long suspension, but their comeback has been marred by opaque power arrangements and factional dominance. The result: a system that privileges political quotas over citizen representation, and where council decisions often reflect elite rivalry rather than local needs.
From Oversight to Gridlock
In the immediate aftermath of the 2023 elections, nearly every provincial council struggled to form a working majority or elect key leadership. In many cases, the absence of binding performance standards allowed dominant blocs to assert control through informal negotiations. Rather than functioning as local watchdogs or policy facilitators, councils became arenas of partisan competition.
'Provincial councils have turned into an empty loop that feeds corruption,' said independent MP Hussein al-Saabri. 'There's little effective governance, and public services are stagnant.' His concern is echoed by Babylon council member Hussein al-Dahmooshi, who attributed the dysfunction to Iraq's entrenched quota system. 'Any decision not backed by powerful blocs simply fails,' he noted, adding that independents are often marginalized.
Former MP Mazen al-Faili warned that repeated institutional failures were accelerating the erosion of citizen trust: 'There's poor oversight from both the councils and Parliament. This has allowed corruption to take root.'
Baghdad: Legal Battles and Power Struggles
In Baghdad, months of internal discord have highlighted the legal ambiguity and partisan friction plaguing Iraq's largest provincial council. Early in 2025, the council voted to dismiss Governor Abdul-Muttalib al-Alawi on grounds of retirement eligibility—a justification the governor rejected. While the Administrative Court initially upheld his removal, the State of Law Coalition challenged the process, accusing the council chairman of overreach. Weeks later, the council moved to dismiss the chairman himself, Ammar al-Qaisi. That decision, too, was reversed by the court, deepening the governance stalemate.
In July 2025, the Ishraqat Kanoon bloc expelled its only council representative, Hussein al-Khuzai, over alleged violations of party discipline. Separately, the National Resolution Coalition withdrew from the Baghdad Bloc, citing political deviation.
Kirkuk: Fragile Balances Collapse
In Kirkuk, ethnic and political tensions have destabilized the post-election landscape. In August 2024, a controversial session held in Baghdad—boycotted by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and several Arab lawmakers—resulted in the appointment of Ribwar Taha as governor and Mohammed Hafiz as council chairman. Though the Administrative Court upheld their appointments in early 2025, the session's legitimacy remained in dispute.
A power-sharing pact, intended to balance Kirkuk's Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen constituencies, collapsed in May when two Arab council members withdrew from the ruling coalition, accusing partners of violating the agreement. Although they retained their seats, their withdrawal effectively ended any pretense of consensus governance.
Saladin and Diyala: Court Rulings Ignored
In Saladin, the appointment of former governor Ahmed Abdullah al-Jubouri (Abu Mazen) in February 2024 triggered a deadlock between provincial and federal authorities. Despite his amnesty, the Iraqi Presidency refused to issue a formal decree confirming his return due to prior convictions. Local tribal and political factions backed the council's decision, but the impasse remains unresolved.
Further tensions arose when the council voted to dismiss its chairman, Adel al-Sumaidaie, replacing him with Ali al- Kareem. The Administrative Judiciary Court later invalidated al-Kareem's appointment, reinstating al- Sumaidaie. However, the conflict revealed a deeper institutional weakness: political blocs often ignore or delay implementing court decisions, undermining judicial authority.
Diyala presents a similar picture. Repeated efforts to remove the council president have led to a cycle of court-mandated reinstatements, which the majority of council members have refused to honor. The result is near-total administrative paralysis and a growing perception that the rule of law is selectively applied.
Dhi Qar, Najaf, and Al-Diwaniyah: Corruption Allegations and Resignations
In Dhi Qar, the dismissal of Governor Murtadha al-Ibrahimi in early 2024 deepened long-standing internal divisions. Rival factions within the council have failed to agree on a successor, leaving key administrative and budgetary decisions in limbo.
In Najaf, a senior council member resigned in April 2025 amid accusations of misconduct in awarding public contracts. In Al-Diwaniyah, citizen protests erupted over claims that council members colluded with contractors to inflate project costs. The backlash prompted a judicial investigation and the temporary suspension of several officials.
Rooted in Quotas, Not Service
Political analyst Nawal al-Mousawi traced the dysfunction back to the quota-based system used to distribute council seats and executive roles. 'Since their inception, these councils have operated under a partisan logic that undermines transparency,' she told Shafaq News. 'The conflicts are more about political positioning ahead of national elections than about public service.'
Al-Mousawi also emphasized that the councils' return, after a ten-year suspension, has failed to bring lessons learned. 'Rather than reforming themselves, they've reverted to the same practices that led to their previous abolition. This illustrates how entrenched institutional stagnation has become.'
A Crisis of Democratic Legitimacy
At its core, the crisis in Iraq's provincial councils is not just administrative but democratic. Conceived as mechanisms for local oversight and citizen representation, the councils have instead become symbols of dysfunction. Voter turnout for the 2023 elections hovered around 41%, but more recent surveys indicate declining interest in the upcoming parliamentary elections—a reflection of deepening public disillusionment with both local and national governance.
Outlook: Reform or Repetition?
While some voices have called for a second suspension of the councils, others advocate sweeping reforms: revising electoral laws, imposing performance benchmarks, and limiting partisan appointments. Yet such reforms would require political will that has so far been lacking.
In the meantime, many political blocs continue to use provincial councils as platforms for influence ahead of federal elections. Without decisive legislative or judicial intervention, Iraq risks repeating the cycle of failed decentralization—a trajectory that threatens not just local governance but the broader credibility of the country's democratic institutions.
Comparatively, Iraq's experience mirrors failed decentralization efforts elsewhere in the region—such as Lebanon's paralyzed municipalities or Tunisia's reversed local empowerment experiment—underscoring that without safeguards, local governance can become a new arena for elite dysfunction rather than a remedy for centralization.