Politics

PM Barzani promotes rank of Kifri mayor

With Kifri being a minor district in the independent Garmiyan Administration, it had previously received lesser funds from the central authorities. Now, this promotion allows the district to allocate more funds.

Kurdistan 24 2023/07/17 17:43

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. (Photo: KRG)

Kurdistan Masrour Barzani Kifri Garmiyan Peshawa Hawramani KRG

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani in a statement on Saturday announced that Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called for a quick solution to the issues affecting Kifri District in the Garmiyan Administration.

One of the demands of the Kifri protestors was to promote the rank of mayor of Kifri. Therefore, on the order of PM Barzani, his rank was promoted from a secondary district mayor to a primary district mayor.

This relationship allocating certain funds based on district rank is invoked in Article 10 of Municipal Administration Law No. 6 of 1996.

Previously, Barzani tweeted that he would form an ad hoc committee to follow up on protestors' demands in the Kifri district.

Kifri is one of the warmest districts in the Kurdistan Region. It has an ancient history, with more than 300 archaeological attractions.

Populated by Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen, Kifri is a disputed territory claimed by the Iraqi government, but it remains under Kurdistan Region control.

Residents of the district had been protesting for five days, demanding employment for the district's large youth population as well as better service provision.

KRG PM Barzani has often discussed the hardships faced by his administration, specifically the fallout from the War on ISIS and the group's lingering presence in Iraq, in addition to the difficulty of reorganizing the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. Exacerbating these issues is the Kurdistan Region's continuing assistance to millions of displaced refugees.

In April 2023, the Iraqi Council of Ministers announced that the total number of unemployed Iraqis tallied 1.5 million.

Unemployment is not a new issue in the Kurdistan Region. Prior to the formation of PM Barzani's cabinet in June 2019, a survey in Sept. 2018 compiled by the Kurdistan Region Statistics Office (KRSO) and international organizations suggested that more than 20 percent of those between 18 and 34 were outside of the workforce and are often reported to have lost hope of finding gainful employment.

In 2018, just over 40 percent of the Region’s population aged between 15 and 64 was listed as an active part of the public sector labor force.

“The information in this survey establishes a reference base for future statistical studies, and will assist the Kurdistan Regional Government with better planning and allocation of resources,” said Minister of Planning Ali Sindi at the time.