Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has warned that a political crisis engulfing his country over anti-graft reforms could hamper the war against Islamic State militants.The crisis escalated this week with the cancellation of two voting sessions in parliament over a planned cabinet reshuffle sought by Abadi as part of his anti-corruption drive.
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has warned
that a political crisis engulfing his country over anti-graft reforms
could hamper the war against Islamic State militants.The crisis
escalated this week with the cancellation of two voting sessions in
parliament over a planned cabinet reshuffle sought by Abadi as part of
his anti-corruption drive.
Tussles between lawmakers broke out on Wednesday, a day
after the first attempted vote. After a second cancellation of the vote
on Thursday dozens of lawmakers held a mock session where they removed
the speaker.
"The conflict has crippled parliament ... and could obstruct
the work of the government, impacting the heroic operations to free our
cities and villages (from Islamic State)," Abadi said in a statement
issued late on Thursday.
Iraq, a major OPEC exporter which sits on one of the world's
largest oil reserves, ranks 161th out of 168 countries on Transparency
International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
Corruption became a major issue after global oil prices
collapsed two years ago, shrinking the state budget at a time when it
needed additional income to wage war against Islamic State, the
ultra-hardline Sunni group that controls swathes of northern and western
Iraq, including the city of Mosul.
Abadi announced a government overhaul in February under pressure from the clergy of Iraq's Shi'ite majority.
He initially proposed independent technocrats as candidates
to try to free the ministries from the grip of a political class that
built its wealth and influence on a patronage system put in place after
the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Abadi then modified his list to include candidates nominated
by the dominant political groups, prompting protests inside parliament
by lawmakers who say it will again result in corruption.
(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Gareth Jones)
- Reuters
Iraqi PM Abadi warns political crisis could hamper war on Islamic State
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