Iraqi oil export continues decline for second month
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Oil Ministry on Saturday said the country had exported an average of 3.306 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) in January, marking the second month of decline as widespread unrest continues.
The almost 3.3 million number is lower than December’s 3.428 million bpd, itself further down from November’s 3.5 million per day average. The decline is almost 5.7 percent of November’s export levels.
The ministry also noted that exports from southern Basra ports amounted to 3.26 million bpd, down from 3.326 million bpd in December.
The falling numbers come amid ongoing anti-government protests that first began in October, in which close to 600 demonstrators have been killed, according to unofficial estimates as a deadly crackdown by members of the security forces continues.
On Saturday, Iraqi President Barham Salih commissioned former communication minister Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi to form the new government close to two months after Adil Abdul Mahdi turned in his resignation as the protests saw a bout of unprecedented violence and in response to calls by the country’s top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
Allawi has one month to form his cabinet, at which point the national parliament would hold a vote to approve him and his picks to lead a new government. He would act as interim prime minister and plan early legislative elections, a popular demand of the protesters, among others.
So far, the PM-designate appears to have only one senior backer amid the political class, namely influential figure Muqtada al-Sadr, who controls one of two major parliamentary factions within the national legislature.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany