Iraqi reforms: what the government promises

The Iraqi government has released to al-Araby al-Jadeed the text of its pledge to reform the country's political institutions and tackle corruption and poor services. Here is a summary.

Analysis

2 min read

AAAJ

11 August, 2015

Abadi is to remove vice and deputy PM positions [Getty]

Al-Araby al-Jadeed has obtained a copy of the final form of the reform programme approved by the Iraqi parliament on Tuesday morning.

The programme was proposed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and approved unanimously following an open vote. The details of the reform programme were not discussed before the vote; they were only read out by the Speaker of the House to the 301 MPs in attendance.

The five-point plan promises to tackle corruption, reduce government and administrative waste, and improve the services. Here is a summarised translation of the government document:

1. Administrative reform: including immediate and comprehensive reduction in the number of government officials and training the remaining ones to carry out their duties, as well as placing limitations on the privileges and allowances of government officials. The positions of three vice presidents and the deputy prime minister will be scrapped.

2. Financial reform: dealing with tax evasion, customs, and maximum pay.

3. Economic reform: dealing with investment and supporting the private sector, as well as debts, employment, and supporting small projects.

4. Services: dealing with power supply, transport and distribution, as well as monitoring the effectiveness of services offered, whether for ministries or local governments.

5. Corruption: dealing with the role of the anti-corruption council, headed by the Prime Minister, as well as applying accountability and evaluation criteria. This also includes investigating old and new corruption cases.