Sudani’s fiscal record under scrutiny ahead of election

A key campaign issue going into next week’s election revolves around the Sudani government’s handling of the country’s finances, with the prime minister’s detractors accusing him of pushing Iraq into significant debt and failing to be transparent about the country’s fiscal position.

The debate intensified after a statement by CBI Governor Ali Al-Allaq last month, in which he said total domestic and foreign debt has risen to around $113 billion. Responding to a parliamentary inquiry from MP Raed Al-Maliki on October 18, Allaq said domestic debt had climbed to 91 trillion IQD, an increase of 35 trillion IQD since Sudani took office. Meanwhile, foreign debt stood at roughly $54 billion, although of that, $43 billion dates back to before 2003, and around $10 billion has been incurred since.