Iraqi lawmaker says domestic debt reached 216 trillion dinars under Sudani government

BAGHDAD, Iraq — An Iraqi member of parliament, Riyad al-Tamimi, has disclosed that Iraq's domestic debt has grown to approximately 216 trillion dinars during Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's tenure in office. Al-Tamimi said the domestic debt stood at roughly 70 trillion dinars when the government took office in 2022, and that the three-year budget set an annual borrowing ceiling of 70 trillion dinars. Actual borrowing came in below that ceiling at about 34 trillion dinars per year, he added. Supporters of the government have argued that the gap between the ceiling and actual borrowing reflects the authorities' decision to cover part of their financial obligations while directing spending toward service and development projects. They contend that the relevant question is the purpose of the borrowing rather than its existence. On the external side, official figures cited by al-Tamimi show that foreign debt declined from about $17 billion in 2022 to $10 billion, a reduction of roughly 41 percent. The government has continued to implement and oversee thousands of service and development projects during this period. The figures have not ended a wider political dispute, with one camp framing borrowing as a tool for stimulating the economy and building infrastructure, and another calling for tighter oversight of public spending and measures to prevent waste.