Iraqi parliament panel drafts plan to transfer provincial units from ministries to governors

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A member of the Iraqi Parliament's Provinces and Cities Committee said Saturday that a parliamentary working group within the committee is preparing amendments to transfer provincial administrative units from central ministries to the authority of governors. Jaafar al-Zamli said the change would allow governors to take decisions directly within their provinces, avoiding delays caused by routing routine correspondence and procedures through Baghdad-based ministries. He added that a small sub-committee of lawmakers had been formed to draft the amendments. According to al-Zamli, the proposals cover separating provincial units from their parent ministries, strengthening local governance and updating provisions related to provincial councils. He also said there is a proposal to revise the voting and decision-making mechanism inside the councils, with the aim of ensuring decisions serve the interests of residents and the province rather than political parties or individuals. Fellow committee member Mohammed al-Baldawi had previously said the committee had begun sessions to review the draft law on non-municipal provinces. Earlier this year, the Higher Inter-Provincial Coordination Council, chaired by former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, approved a draft of a new provinces law. Under Iraq's constitution, provincial councils function as independent local bodies with broad administrative and financial powers, unlinked to any ministry.