The new Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani on Tuesday sacked several officials appointed by his predecessor, including the head of intelligence, we learned from a government source.
Mohamed Chia al-Soudani obtained the confidence of the deputies last Thursday, after a year of a standoff sometimes enamelled with violence between the two enemies of political Shiism: the religious leader Moqtada Sadr and the Coordination Framework, an alliance of parties pro-Iran supporter of al-Sudani.
One of his first decisions was to cancel, in the Council of Ministers, a series of appointments made since the legislative elections of October 2021 by his predecessor Moustafa al-Kazimi.
The decree does not detail which officials are targeted, but according to a government source, Iraqi intelligence chief Raed Jouhi is among them.
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This decision is linked to the status of Kazimi's government when the appointments were decided.
Because, from the legislative elections of October 2021 until last week, this government was “interim”.
And “
according to the Supreme Court, an interim government does not have the right
” to make such appointments, declared Mohamed Chia al-Soudani during his first press conference as Prime Minister.
The new head of government also said he wanted to tackle corruption, “
a serious threat to the Iraqi state, more dangerous than all the threats that have weighed on Iraq
”.
“
Citizens want to feel that there is accountability at work and that looted money is returned
“, he said, without however announcing concrete measures.
Iraq, where patronage reigns, is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International's ranking.
Finally, Mohamed Chia al-Soudani appeared less firm in his plan to organize early legislative elections "
within a year
", as he had nevertheless committed to in his government program.
The Coordination Framework, but also the current of Moqtada Sadr, see in an early election a solution to get Iraq out of the political crisis.
However, during his press conference on Tuesday, the Prime Minister explained that "
early elections are not the sole fault of the government, but also of Parliament
", which must first dissolve itself before the ballot is n 'takes place.
