Obstacles to Reforms in Iraq

Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, has initiated a reform program aimed at reducing government costs and combating financial corruption, starting with the elimination of the two positions of Vice Presidents and Deputy Prime Ministers. These reforms come in the wake of weeks of protests in Baghdad and southern Iraqi cities. According to AFP, at least some of the reforms, which require approval from the Cabinet and the Iraqi Parliament, are being implemented following a request from Ayatollah Ali Sistani for stringent reform measures. Mahmoud Osman, a former member of the Iraqi Parliament residing in Erbil, confirmed the necessity of reforms in the country, stating to Radio Farda: "I believe the Iraqi cabinet and even the Parliament will approve these reforms due to pressure from the Najaf clergy (Sistani and others) and the pressure from protests, but I think implementing them will not be easy. There may be many obstacles, and Abadi should have announced this a year ago. There is some delay, but if he can implement these changes, it will be a good thing for Iraq." One of the most important decisions mentioned by the Prime Minister in his statement is the immediate removal of the positions of Vice Presidents and Deputy Prime Ministers. This comes at a time when Nouri al-Maliki, the former Prime Minister of Iraq, who still holds significant influence in the government, is currently one of the Vice Presidents of the country. The removal of this position will require an amendment to the Iraqi Constitution, which complicates the immediacy of the action. In his proposed reforms, Mr. Abadi stated that the appointment of senior government officials should not be based on ethnic and party quotas, but rather candidates for these positions should be selected by a committee appointed by the Prime Minister. Another issue to be addressed in the reform process is the "comprehensive and immediate reduction of the number of security personnel" for all government officials. Other reform topics include the elimination of special expenses for current and retired senior officials, although Mr. Abadi did not specify particular cases in this regard. The current situation in Iraq is such that some senior government officials receive very high salaries or are provided with government vehicles, and some officials enjoy generous retirement benefits. Abadi has also ordered that corruption cases involving Iraqi government officials from the past to the present be reopened and examined. Ali Mohtadi, a journalist and analyst on Middle Eastern and Arab affairs residing in Paris, discussed the challenges facing the Iraqi Prime Minister in implementing these measures, stating to Radio Farda: "The biggest problem Mr. Abadi faces in implementing his new reforms in Iraq is the country's governmental system. Many have said that since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in 2003, the new system in Iraq has been based on sectarian division and the allocation of government positions and posts to various sects and religious or political groups. This is exactly the model that has been implemented in Lebanon, and now everyone believes this model has failed. In this model, any opposition or any change in political positions may create a sense of insult or marginalization for a sect or political group." Baghdad and many cities in Iraq have witnessed protests in recent weeks against the poor quality of government services and electricity outages, which in some cases have allowed citizens to use government-produced electricity for only a few hours a day.