ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday confirmed he will run in Iraq’s upcoming federal elections, set for November 11, touting his government’s achievements and evolving relations with the Kurdistan Region. The announcement came during the ninth Sulaimani Forum, held at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS), which brought together high-level leaders, diplomats, and policy experts to discuss the evolving role of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. Last week, Iraq’s Council of Ministers set the election date following pressure from the Shiite-led Coordination Framework, which had rejected calls to postpone the vote. The coalition, which includes parties backing Sudani’s cabinet as well as the Kurdistan Region’s ruling parties, Iraqis “to seize this constitutional opportunity to elect their representatives.” At the forum, Sudani highlighted the achievements of his cabinet, now approaching its third year in office. He said that providing government services, enacting economic reforms, combating corruption, and addressing unemployment and poverty have remained key priorities. “We are a government of services, and this is a coordination between the citizens and the government,” he said. In September, Sudani detailed a number of social support and development milestones, stating that around 961,000 new households became eligible for the Social Safety Net, over 7.5 million monthly food baskets were distributed, and more than two million students received grants. Additionally, about one million new job positions were announced, and over 372,000 caregivers for people with disabilities received salaries. In the energy sector, Sudani said local power production had reached 27,000 megawatts, 67 percent of associated gas was being utilized, and gasoline production had increased to 28 million liters per day, resulting in reduced imports The premier also emphasized that health and education projects, as well as the development of Iraq’s electrical grid, continue to be top priorities for the government. Improving the energy sector, particularly the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in gas and ending imports by 2028, remains central to his cabinet’s agenda. Sudani acknowledged the environmental and public health impact of gas flaring in Iraq. The country is one of the world’s largest gas flarers, a practice that contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. It also poses serious health risks for communities near oil fields and flaring sites, including refugee camps in areas from Basra to the Kurdistan Region. Both the federal and regional governments have vowed to end the practice. “It is our responsibility not to delay projects,” Sudani stressed, adding that project completion rates across Iraq have improved compared to previous years. “We have reached a stage where the Iraqi people have faith in the system,” he said. “I confidently say that this government, with the support of the nation and the [Shiite-led] Coordination Framework that backed it, was able to carry out its task - a program of reform.” Baghdad-Erbil relations “For the first time, the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil is shifting from [one marred with] political disputes to a technical, political dialogue,” Sudani said, referring to the evolving ties between the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The comment followed his visit to Erbil on Saturday, where he met with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani to discuss regional and national developments. The trip came amid ongoing tensions between the two governments over oil exports and the delayed payment of salaries for the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants - issues that have strained relations for more than a decade. In 2014, the federal government cut the Kurdistan Region’s share of the national budget. In response, Erbil began independently exporting oil and relied heavily on the revenues to fund its public sector. However, declining oil prices and the costly war against the Islamic State (ISIS) severely impacted its finances, forcing austerity measures. Civil servants faced frequent salary cuts and delays, with Baghdad now covering those payments. Sudani addressed the stalled oil and gas legislation, saying, “The oil and gas law, based on the constitution, stipulates that this wealth is a national wealth for Iraqis,” but added that “unfortunately, the conditions that the parliament went through” have prevented the law from being developed. The unpaid salaries crisis worsened after Kurdish oil exports were suspended in March 2023. That move followed an international court ruling in favor of Baghdad, which found that Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by permitting Erbil to export oil independently. Talks between federal and Kurdish officials, along with international oil companies operating in the Region, have so far failed to yield a resolution. The companies seek payment guarantees and contractual stability, Baghdad demands federal control, and Erbil continues to push for a deal that protects its economic autonomy. PMF law “The [Popular Mobilization Forces] law concerns an important security institution that achieved great strides in the fight against terror,” said Sudani, referring to a proposed bill that aims to regulate the structure, salaries, and retirement policies of the PMF and integrate the group into Iraq’s state security forces. In early March, Iraqi factions - such as Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) - boycotted a parliamentary session in protest of the law’s exclusion from the agenda. The bill has been a source of political contention. Later that month, Iraq’s parliament completed the first reading of the proposed legislation. The PMF was formed in 2014 in response to a fatwa by Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, following the Islamic State (ISIS) takeover of large swathes of northern and western Iraq. The force began as an umbrella group of roughly 70 predominantly Shiite factions, with around 250,000 members. A 2016 law passed by parliament offered a basic legal framework for the PMF, but it contained only three articles, leaving crucial issues unaddressed, especially regarding the force’s legal integration into Iraq’s official security apparatus. The force has also been a source of controversy, particularly over the ties of some factions to US-designated terrorist groups. In late March, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw that for Iraq to strengthen its sovereignty, the government “must ensure it has command and control of all security forces within its borders.” She added that the PMF “must respond to Iraq’s commander in chief, and not to Iran.” “Security institutions would not function without laws [regulating their work], and so would intelligence agencies,” said Sudani. He emphasized that his cabinet is working to end the proliferation of weapons outside state control. “I believe that there are no rejections from the political parties regarding the importance of developing [Iraq’s] security institutions and implementing laws,” he said. “We must move forward with proposals to develop these [security] agencies.” Commenting on Iraq’s ties with the US-led coalition to fight ISIS, Sudani said, “Our friends from the Global Coalition play an advisory role.” He noted that the partnership was included in the government’s program. While Baghdad has signaled that a commission was formed to conclude the presence of coalition forces, Washington has described the process as a “transition.” Sudani said Baghdad told the coalition that “Iraq in 2023 and 2024 is not the same as it was in 2014, when it requested assistance from the coalition.” He added, “We confirmed on many occasions that this relationship is a security relationship and that Iraq is serious about developing this relationship. We are transitioning to a bilateral security partnership.”
