Iraq parliament votes to transform ruling system in boost for Abadi
Iraq's parliament voted unanimously on August 11 for the biggest shakeup in its governing system since the US military occupation, eliminating entire layers of government and giving Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi new powers.
Abadi has sought to transform a system which critics said encouraged corruption and incompetence, depriving Iraqis of basic services while undermining government forces in the battle against Islamic State militants.
The televised vote took place by a show of hands without discussion or objections, reflecting popular concerns embodied by large street protests calling for an end to a setup that shares out posts on ethnic and sectarian lines.
Under the sweeping reforms, the three positions of vice president and three deputy prime ministers will be scrapped, removing offices that had become vehicles for patronage for some of the most powerful people in the country.
Nuri al-Maliki, Abadi's predecessor, will lose the job of vice president he had held since stepping down as prime minister in 2014 after eight often divisive years in power.
Several ministries will be combined to eliminate cabinet posts: the planning and finance ministries will merge, water will be fused with agriculture, and environment with health.
Abadi will have the power to fire provincial governors and regional officials, who often wield more power in their territories than authorities in Baghdad.
New rules will cut back politicians' security details and other perks. The judicial system will also see changes to encourage corruption investigations.
The risky reforms are the biggest move yet by Abadi to strengthen his own hand, even as large swathes of the country have fallen to ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim militants from the Islamic State group, and the central government faces a financial crisis from the collapsing price of its oil exports.