At a time when Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi won an important round in his struggle with the Iraqi political blocs, by devaluing the dinar against the exchange rate of the US dollar, the differences between him and those blocs are still impeding the resolution of the remaining ministerial dues to complete the government formation, especially in terms of demanding four deputy prime ministers and the creation of new ministries.
While the government's decision to reduce the exchange rate of the dinar against the dollar seemed to be a surgical operation to bridge the gap between the official price and the parallel price of the dollar in Iraqi markets, which led to a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor, according to observers in Baghdad, the efforts of the political forces did not stop, even after the turmoil in the markets, from demanding the creation of satisfaction positions, which would add a heavy burden to the budget again, at a time when Iraq is unable to export the full amount of oil required to be exported in order to finance Operating expenses, primarily the salaries of about 8 million employees, retirees and contractors.
Political observers believe that Al-Zaidi, who continues to raise his political and public standing even through difficult decisions, is facing the demands of conflicting political blocs to complete the government cabinet, to the extent that some of them reached the point of announcing that the Iraqi Parliament will hold a session on Monday to vote on the positions of deputy prime ministers, and the remaining ministerial portfolios, which are “Defense, Interior, Higher Education, Immigration and Displaced Persons, Culture, Housing and Reconstruction, Labor and Social Affairs, and Planning,” in addition to the creation of new ministries, such as the Ministry of Intelligence. Artificial, and another for tourism after its separation from the Ministry of Culture.
However, a responsible parliamentary source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “there is no session on Monday for the purpose of voting on the government cabinet,” indicating that “the government has not yet submitted an official request to the Presidency of Parliament for the purpose of setting a session to vote on vacant ministerial portfolios,” which means that disagreements still exist. Whether it is about rotating some positions or creating others, in addition to the possibility of overriding the American “veto” regarding some candidates for some government positions, especially deputy prime ministers.
Among the controversial candidates is the prominent leader of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Laith Khazali, brother of its leader Qais Khazali, who is nominated for the position of Deputy Prime Minister. While the news is contradictory about whether the American “veto” was lifted or not, the matter turned into a complex in itself after the first “veto” raised by US President Donald Trump on the leader of the “State of Law Coalition” and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki assuming the position of Prime Minister, which paved the way for the young businessman Ali al-Zaidi to reach this position.
For his part, the researcher in legal and political affairs, Dr. Saif Al-Saadi, confirmed that “there is no constitutional or legal justification for creating the positions of 4 deputy prime ministers, as an attempt to appease the heads of the political blocs. Because Article 139 of the Constitution stipulates the following: The Prime Minister will have two deputies in the first electoral round, and this text relates to the first round; Because the legislative will is clear.”
Al-Saadi said in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “Article (1/second) of the internal regulations of the Council of Ministers No. 2 of 2019 stipulates the following: The Council shall consist of the Prime Minister, his deputies, and the ministers, after they take the constitutional oath before the House of Representatives,” indicating that “the system did not stipulate a specific number, but the prominent political forces want to create positions and ministries that they will endorse and support during Al-Zaidi’s term.”
He explained that “former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi decided, in August 2015, to abolish the positions of Vice President of the Republic and Prime Minister, as part of a package of reforms he implemented in response to popular demands and protests. However, in October 2016, the Federal Court issued a ruling stating that it was unconstitutional to abolish the position of Vice President of the Republic, and to restore it as a constitutional obligation to prevent a vacuum. However, the successive governments that followed the federal fatwa avoided the actual broad activation, or filling of these positions, according to political consensus, financial pressures, and reformist tendencies.
Regarding the creation of new ministries, Al-Saadi stressed, “This comes within the scope of containing all political blocs, and ensuring their shares in the ministerial cabinet, without the actual need for such a creation, which means splitting the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities into: the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Ministry of State, and the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, in light of compelling financial circumstances that led to an increase in the dollar exchange rate.”
He concludes by saying: “Instead of reducing the spending ceiling in the general budget, and reducing appointments and the creation of positions, an attempt is being made to burden the citizen with the burdens of government choices and political courtesies.”
The recent rains in Lebanon forced residents and shop owners in the southern suburb of Beirut to confront another side of the effects of war, after cracks, shattered glass, and damaged entrances turned into outlets for water leakage and air leakage, and some of them were forced to complete restoration work that they had postponed due to cost or fear of renewed confrontations.
Among those who repaired their house at their own expense and the entrance to the building remained cracked, and those who waited before replacing the damaged glass, and those whose capabilities have not yet allowed them to carry out repairs, and those who are still covering the facade of their store with nylon and wood, testimonies from the suburb reveal that returning to homes and shops was not necessarily a return to what they were before the war, and that restoration remained linked to the ability of each family or stakeholder to bear its cost.
Rain settles the wait
Muhammad Nimah told Asharq Al-Awsat that the damage to his house began since the 2024 war, when the glass in the living room was shattered, before it worsened during the last war with the intensification of shelling and explosions near the house.
Nimah says: “In the 2024 war, the glass of the living room in my house in the Al-Jamous area in the southern suburb was damaged, but with the outbreak of the second war, very strong explosions occurred near the house, causing more glass and other parts of the house to be damaged. Then I decided not to start the repair directly, because the situation was not stable, and I was afraid that I would pay the cost of the repair and then the damage would happen again.”
But the recent rains, according to Nehme, decided his decision. He says: “When heavy rain came, along with winds and storms, I could no longer wait, because water began to enter the house from the damaged places. Then I decided to fix what could be fixed at my expense; Because I had to protect the house and make it habitable.”
Burdens apply to restoration
But the ability to make a similar decision is not available to everyone, especially for families who emerged from the war carrying with them the loss of months of income, in addition to housing, work, and living obligations.
Mahmoud, a taxi driver and father of three children from Haret Hreik, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Until today I have not been able to repair the damage in the house. During the recent rains, water entered the house, and with every wave of rain I fear that this will happen again, but my capabilities do not allow me to make the required repairs.”
Mahmoud lives with his family in a rented house, while he works on a taxi with a rented public license plate as well, which leaves him with fixed monthly obligations that do not stop at the housing allowance, but also include the cost of the license plate and his family’s daily expenses.
He explains that the war directly hit his source of livelihood, saying: “During the war and displacement, I stopped working for months. I live from my daily work on the car, and when I am not working there is no income. After returning, I found myself facing a damaged house that needed repair, rent to be paid, and expenses for three children, and I did not have money to allocate for restoration at once.”
Mahmoud continues: “I am trying to fix what I can, and postpone what can be postponed, but the water problem cannot be left for a long time, and I fear that we will face the same problem with any new rain.”
The apartment has been renovated... but the building has not
The problem appears from another angle to Abu Hassan, a resident of a building in Al Mareija in the southern suburb, who was able to restore his house and return to it, while the common parts of the building remained damaged.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I renovated my house as much as I could so that I could live in it, but the problem is no longer just inside the apartment. The entrance to the building and the skylights of the stairs are still cracked, and with the rainfall it became clear that the restoration inside our homes is not enough, as long as the common parts of the building are damaged.”
“With the first actual test after the restoration, we faced the problem of water leaking into the entrance and stairs.”
The priority for him and other families was to return home as quickly as possible, which prompted each family to treat what it could within its apartment, while shared parts remained that required a greater cost.
Nylon and wood interface
The obsession with cost and renewed war is not much different among store owners. Musa Salman, a store owner in Bir al-Abd, still relies on nylon and wood instead of permanently repairing his storefront.
Salman told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I preferred to keep the nylon and wood as they are, because I do not know what might happen. In the summer, it is relatively easier, but in the winter the issue becomes more difficult. However, I do not want to bear the cost of repairing the entire facade and then lose it if the war breaks out again.”
He points out that repairing the facade requires a significant amount of money, in light of the weak commercial activity, explaining that the lower part alone may cost about $600, while the cost of the upper part may reach more than a thousand dollars.
He adds: “In light of this situation, a person calculates every step. “There is no commercial activity as before, and whoever can postpone the cost does so.”
On Sunday, the federal government in Baghdad and the regional government in Northern Kurdistan condemned the attack on King Khalid International Airport, in the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
The spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Sabah Al-Numan, said in a statement, “The Iraqi government denounces the attack on King Khalid International Airport in the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, which led to innocent victims and material and human losses, in a way that harms regional security and stability.”
He added, "The government expresses its rejection of every escalation of military and aggressive actions, especially those that affect civilians and civilian facilities, which deepen the roots of disputes and leave their negative effects on the overall peace in the region."
Al-Numan continued, “Iraq calls for a comprehensive cessation of military actions, sparing civilians and brotherly peoples their consequences and consequences, and preventing civilian facilities from being exposed to attacks and harm.”
He stated that “Iraq always supports dialogue and understanding as an alternative language to any military or violent action, and the primacy of the deep-rooted interests of brotherly peoples. It also supports ensuring freedom of navigation, flight, and movement in the region, and the primacy of comprehensive economic and development interests.”
In turn, the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region expressed its strong condemnation of the attack on “King Khalid Airport,” and said, in a statement: “We strongly condemn the attack that targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and resulted in a number of civilian casualties and injuries.”
The presidential statement added: “We express our sincere condolences and sympathy to the leadership, government and people of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to the families of the victims, hoping for a speedy recovery for the injured. While we affirm our full solidarity and stand by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we stress the need to protect civilian lives, stop the escalation, and preserve the security and stability of the region.”
