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Shafaq News
4 days ago
- Business
- Shafaq News
Iraq's Parliament: High pay, low productivity
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.'
Shafaq News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraqi prisoner tops law school class
Shafaq News - Dhi Qar An inmate at al-Nasiriyah Central Prison in southern Iraq has secured the top rank in his class at Al-Ain University's College of Law, earning an 'excellent' grade, Iraqi MP Mahmoud al-Qaisi announced on Thursday. 'This proves that personal growth is possible even in the harshest circumstances,' al-Qaisi emphasized in a statement. 'The will to learn is not confined by walls or bars.' At present, 50 other inmates are also pursuing degrees at Al-Ain University—voted the top private university in Dhi Qar in a local referendum—continuing their education while serving time. Al-Qaisi described them as a 'powerful model of perseverance and a desire to reclaim life through learning.' Recalling past visits to both al-Nasiriyah (formerly al-Hout) and Kifl prisons, he emphasized that many detainees are eager to transform their lives, urging authorities to improve prison education as a key pillar of rehabilitation and to include the majority of inmates under the General Amnesty Law. 'Prisons must shift from being centers of confinement to spaces that restore human potential and prepare individuals to contribute to Iraq's future,' the lawmaker concluded.
Shafaq News
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq warns against regional war after US hits Iran's nuclear sites
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Iraq's four presidencies condemned the United States' airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The media office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani stated that the PM attended a meeting that included President Abdul Latif Rashid, Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, and Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zidan. The attendees reviewed recent regional developments and the implications of the ongoing conflict. They stressed Iraq's rejection of any breach of its sovereignty or airspace and voiced support for the government in taking necessary measures to protect national airspace, including pursuing legal action through international institutions to prevent further violations. The four presidencies condemned the attack against Iran, warning that the strike 'represents a serious breach of international laws and norms.' Expressing concern over the targeting of Iran's nuclear sites, they called the act a dangerous escalation that threatens both regional and international peace. The meeting also addressed Iraq's political, economic, and social conditions, and discussed efforts to improve public services and citizens' living standards. They reviewed issues including the funding of salaries for public employees in the Kurdistan Region, the resumption of parliament sessions, the implementation of amendments to the General Amnesty Law, and preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections on November 11.
Shafaq News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Supreme Court resignations threaten November vote
Shafaq News/ Iraq's upcoming parliamentary elections, set for November 11, 2025, are in jeopardy after mass resignations paralyzed the country's highest court, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) warned on Friday. Imad Jameel, IHEC's media head, told Shafaq News that the Federal Supreme Court—the only body authorized to certify election results—cannot operate without a full bench, cautioning, 'If these resignations are upheld, the legal basis for holding elections collapses.' For now, Jameel confirmed that preparations are moving forward. Unless the resignations are officially accepted or reversed, the commission will continue to follow its operational timeline, supported by an approved budget and electoral law. 'No postponement is currently under consideration.' The crisis erupted on June 19, when six judges and three alternates resigned, effectively suspending the court's operations. Judicial sources attributed the move to escalating tensions with the Supreme Judicial Council, fueled by disputes over the General Amnesty Law, the Khor Abdullah maritime pact with Kuwait, and a controversial Retirement Law. The resigning judges also accused Chief Justice Faiq Zidan of yielding to political pressure, undermining the court's independence despite public claims to the contrary. Legal experts are calling this the most serious judicial crisis since the 2003 US-led invasion. Earlier today, Hazem al-Rudaini, deputy head of Iraq's Strategic Center for Human Rights, warned that without the court, the election process could grind to a halt.
Shafaq News
03-06-2025
- General
- Shafaq News
KRG's Amnesty Law draft held up by political deadlock
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has finalized a draft of the General Amnesty Law, but its passage remains on hold until the new session of the Kurdistan Parliament convenes, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Kwestan Maarouf said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, Maarouf explained that the previous KRG cabinet had prepared the bill and that ten members of the former Parliament had also submitted a related legislative proposal. However, political disagreements and the dissolution of the previous Parliament stalled the process. 'Despite holding an initial meeting with relevant government bodies, the Parliament failed to convene for a vote in its final year, and was later dissolved,' she said. Maarouf noted that the new Parliament can combine both the cabinet's draft and the MPs' proposal into a single, unified Amnesty Law. About the Law Kurdistan Region's Amnesty Law, enacted in December 2017 under Law No. 4, allowed for pardons for prisoners and detainees under specific conditions, including reconciliation between involved parties or partial sentence completion. The law excluded serious offenses such as terrorism-related crimes, threats to regional security, corruption, premeditated murder, incest, sexual assault, human trafficking, antiquities smuggling, currency counterfeiting, and kidnapping resulting in death, permanent disability, or disappearance.
