In response to a new wave of demonstrations Iraq’s Prime
Minister Haider Abadi promised to cut government waste while ending the
ethnosectarian quota system that determines how positions are dolled out to the
ruling parties. In August, the premier reduced the number of ministers, but at
the same time maintained the ethnosectarian breakdown that existed beforehand.
This points to the limits Abadi is facing as he tries to appease the protest
movement.
On August 17, 2015 Premier Abadi announced
that he was cutting the number of ministers in the government to reduce costs.
Four ministries were being eliminated, and
another four were being merged together. The Ministries of Human Rights,
Women’s Affairs, Provincial and Parliamentary Affairs were all being done away
with while Science was becoming part of Higher Education, Environment part of
Health, Municipalities into Housing, and Tourism into Culture. That reduced the
cabinet from 30 positions down to 23. When Abadi first came into office in
September 2014 he said he wanted to make the government smaller as it had
vastly expanded under Maliki to meet the demands of the ruling parties. For
example, when Maliki was sworn in for his second term in 2010 he had 30
ministers, but within a few months that had ballooned to 40. Abadi’s
willingness to make more cuts therefore was in line with what he’d talked about
from the beginning. This move was made in response to the growing protest
movement in Iraq, which began in July initially over
electricity shortages, but then quickly
expanded to include calls to end corruption and government excess.
While Abadi addressed one of the demonstrators’ demands with
this move, he ignored another. Abadi and the protesters have both called for
ending the ethnosectarian quota system, which was institutionalized within the
Iraqi government after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The system is
meant to appease the ruling parties, and leads to positions being given out not
based upon competence, but party affiliation. Abadi maintained those quotas
even as he reduced his cabinet. Before there were 30 ministers with the Shiites
holding 53% of them, the Sunnis 23%, and the Kurds 16% with the rest held by
smaller parties. After the cuts the Shiite lists had 52% of the cabinet, the
Sunnis 21%, and the Kurds 17%. While the Iraqi ruling class has all come out in
support of the protests, behind the scenes they are unwilling to make any real
structural reforms, which would threaten their power. The parties were willing
to give up a few ministries, especially because they were all rather small.
Women’s Affairs for
example had a budget of roughly $120 per month, and only three offices
according to a Kurdish lawmaker. At the same time, they were not going to make
any real institutional changes that would upset the balance between them.
Abadi’s Government Before Cuts
Shiite Parties – 16
Ministries = 53% of cabinet
Sunni Parties – 7 Ministries
= 23% of cabinet
Kurdish Parties – 5
Ministries = 16% of cabinet
Others – 2 Ministries = 6% of
cabinet
Abadi’s Government After Cuts
Shiite Parties – 12
Ministries = 52% of cabinet
Sunni Parties – 5 Ministries
= 21% of cabinet
Kurdish Parties – 4
Ministries = 17% of cabinet
Others – 1 Ministry = 4% of
cabinet
Abadi faces severe challenges in his reform effort. If he
doesn’t continue to make moves the protests could grow angrier and undermine
his rule. His opponents are already attempting to exploit the demonstrations
against him. At the same time, if he moves too fast or attempts too much he
could garner the ire of all the ruling parties. Abadi is therefore in the
unenviable position of being between a rock and a hard place. He has to balance
a number of political and social players, which are all pulling and pushing in
different directions if he wants to survive this period.
SOURCES
Buratha
News, “Demonstrations stopped in northern Basra to protest against poor
electricity services,” 7/17/15
Office of Prime Minister Dr. Haider Al-Abadi, “Prime
Minister Orders Decrease in the COM Members,” 8/16/15
Shafaq News, “Abadi
announces reducing the number of ministers by cancelling four ministries and
merging others,” 8/17/15
- “What did al-Maliki
said about Abadi’s measures?” 8/9/15
Sotaliraq, “Hundreds
protested in central Nasiriyah against corruption and attacked government
officials and deputies,” 8/2/15
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