Iraq’s prime minister announced a wide-ranging reform plan on Sunday that would abolish the three vice presidential posts as well as the office of deputy prime minister in order to slash spending and improve the government’s performance in the face of mass protests.
Mr. Al-Abadi’s seven-point plan would also require that a number of government posts be filled with political independents, a move aimed at combating endemic corruption in Iraq’s political system, in which many senior appointments are determined by party patronage and sectarian loyalties.
A year after assuming office following the Islamic State group’s rapid advance across northern and western Iraq, Mr. al-Abadi is still struggling to combat and roll back the extremist group.
But he is now also facing rising discontent with government services. Iraqis have been suffering through a brutal heat wave with frequent power cuts, leading to mass protests even among the Shia majority, from which the government draws most of its support.
Mr. Al-Abadi’s plan would reduce spending on personal bodyguards for officials and transfer the responsibility to the Interior and Defence Ministries, which would have their budgets expanded.
The plan also calls for the review of all corruption cases by a committee of experts, with fresh trials for officials suspected of wrongdoing.
The move comes two days after Iraq’s most revered Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on Mr. al-Abadi to quickly address internal issues in the government, including corruption. Through his spokesman Ahmed al-Safi, Mr. al-Sistani said the prime minister must be more “daring and courageous” in his steps to reform the government, urging him to strike “with an iron fist anyone who is tampering with the people’s money.”
