ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Asaad Al Eidani, governor of the southern Iraqi province of Basra, says he will visit the Kurdistan Region next week to learn from the experience of the semi-autonomous region and how it might be replicated.
Since violent protests against central government mismanagement, poor infrastructure, unemployment, and corruption swept Basra province during the summer months, calls have grown to transform the federal province into an autonomous region.
“A delegation from the province of Basra will soon visit the Kurdistan Region in coordination with the regional government in order to be closely aware of the authority of the decentralized region,” Eidani told reporters in Basra on Tuesday.
“The aim of the visit is to benefit from the experience of the region and transfer the experience to the province of Basra,” he added.
The Kurdistan Region is a semi-autonomous entity encompassing the four northern provinces of Duhok, Erbil, Sulaimani, and Halabja. The Region has its own presidency, parliament, and judiciary, and enjoys significant control over its own trade, borders, infrastructure, and defense.
It is nevertheless still part of federal Iraq – receiving a share of the federal budget, sending MPs to the federal parliament, and obliged to respect the Iraqi constitution.
Many in Basra would like to see a similar arrangement.
Eidani was meeting with Iraqi Finance Minister Fuad Hussein in the provincial capital of Basra on Tuesday.
Hussein, a veteran member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) also met with a delegation from Basra provincial council and a representative of the protestors. The central government is eager to quell discontent with investment.
Basra provincial council has called for the powers of some ministries to be devolved to local government level. In doing so, they hope to better address the province’s crumbling public services, its dirty drinking water, and high unemployment.
They also want to see their fair share of Iraq’s petrodollar – the bulk of which comes from Basra’s oilfields.
Basra is Iraq’s economic powerhouse, yet it is home to some of the country’s poorest citizens. According to figures published by Basra provincial council, 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Since violent protests against central government mismanagement, poor infrastructure, unemployment, and corruption swept Basra province during the summer months, calls have grown to transform the federal province into an autonomous region.
“A delegation from the province of Basra will soon visit the Kurdistan Region in coordination with the regional government in order to be closely aware of the authority of the decentralized region,” Eidani told reporters in Basra on Tuesday.
“The aim of the visit is to benefit from the experience of the region and transfer the experience to the province of Basra,” he added.
The Kurdistan Region is a semi-autonomous entity encompassing the four northern provinces of Duhok, Erbil, Sulaimani, and Halabja. The Region has its own presidency, parliament, and judiciary, and enjoys significant control over its own trade, borders, infrastructure, and defense.
It is nevertheless still part of federal Iraq – receiving a share of the federal budget, sending MPs to the federal parliament, and obliged to respect the Iraqi constitution.
Many in Basra would like to see a similar arrangement.
Eidani was meeting with Iraqi Finance Minister Fuad Hussein in the provincial capital of Basra on Tuesday.
Hussein, a veteran member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) also met with a delegation from Basra provincial council and a representative of the protestors. The central government is eager to quell discontent with investment.
Basra provincial council has called for the powers of some ministries to be devolved to local government level. In doing so, they hope to better address the province’s crumbling public services, its dirty drinking water, and high unemployment.
They also want to see their fair share of Iraq’s petrodollar – the bulk of which comes from Basra’s oilfields.
Basra is Iraq’s economic powerhouse, yet it is home to some of the country’s poorest citizens. According to figures published by Basra provincial council, 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
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