Department heads at Iraq electricity ministry fired as PM acts on protests

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi dismissed senior officials in key departments of the electricity ministry after widespread protests over a nationwide power crisis.

Mr Al Abadi said on Thursday that his administration was undertaking reforms by sacking the heads of the investment, contracts, legal and electricity distribution departments at the ministry.

Although billions of dollars have been pumped into government departments since the fall of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, many Iraqi cities and towns never recovered and still suffer from poor infrastructure, severe power cuts, rolling blackouts and shortages of clean water, as well as high unemployment.

The issues triggered last month’s demonstrations in southern Iraqi, mainly in the energy-rich province of Basra.

On Tuesday, Mr Al Abadi announced a major investigation into senior officials and ministers as part of a crackdown on abuse of public office – referring to fraud in government education contracts.

He directed the Integrity Commission, a government body responsible for fighting corruption, to investigate the accusations.

Baghdad’s central government has completed the investigations of more than 1,000 corruption cases since Mr Al Abadi took office in 2014, the premier’s spokesman said.

“We have issued the order for the arrest of 800 officials involved in corruption cases as well as demanding an additional 2,000 officials appear in court,” Saad Al Hadithi told The National.

Last month, Mr Al Abadi suspended his minister of electricity, Qassem Al Fahdawi “because of the deterioration in the electricity sector” and opened an investigation.

The Iraqi leader said the suspension would last until the investigation concluded.

Anger is mounting at a time when politicians are struggling to form a government after the elections in May. The vote itself was marred by allegations of fraud and voter irregularity that

prompted a recount.

The United Nations special representative to Iraq, Jan Kubis, told the Security Council on Wednesday that a new Iraqi national government must prioritise a host of political, economic and social reforms as well as reconciliation and good governance, including fighting corruption.

Mr Kubis urged the next government to create jobs, put all armed groups “under the strict control of the state,” and act against “insubordinate militias and criminal gangs”.

The elections, the fourth since Saddam was toppled, produced the lowest turnout in 15 years, which Mr Kubis said delivered “a strong message of dissatisfaction with the current state of management of public affairs”.

The UN representative said the demonstrations in southern Iraq put a spotlight on the region’s “massive and long-neglected social, economic and development needs”.

Mr Al Abadi, who is seeking a second term in office, heads a fragile caretaker government that will serve until a new government is formed.