Monday, December 18, 2023
Evening News with MarkZ. 12/18/2023
With varying participation rates and massive violations, the Commission closes the polls and ends the elections, 18 DEC
With varying participation rates and massive violations, the Commission closes the polls and ends the elections, 18 DEC
Shafaq News/ The Election Commission announced, on Monday, the closure of general ballot boxes for the governorate and district council elections, in the 15 governorates that are not organized into a region, amid varying participation rates and a number of electoral and security violations.
The Commission confirmed, in urgent news, that ballot boxes were closed at 6:00 pm on Monday, in all electoral centers distributed in 15 governorates, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region.
As of midday, the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Judge Omar Ahmed, announced that the percentage of voting in the general ballot for the provincial and district council elections amounted to only 17 percent.
Baghdad and the governorates of Diyala, Babel, Karbala, Dhi Qar, Diwaniyah, Muthanna, and Anbar recorded a weak participation rate in the general vote for the governorate council elections, as of midday.
Former member of the Election Commission, Saad Al-Rawi, noted the presence of delays in some polling stations, and told Shafaq News Agency that the participation rate will not exceed the rates of previous sessions, which usually range between 25 to 35%.
Security aspect
In this context, the Federal Minister of the Interior, Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, considered the polling stations “vital targets that must be defended,” moments after the polls closed and the public voting process ended.
Before that, a security source in Najaf reported that an explosion occurred near an electoral center in the Kufa district, in an attack that was the second of its kind targeting electoral centers, after an attack with explosive devices that targeted 4 electoral centers in the governorate.
On Monday morning, the voting process began in the general ballot for the irregular provincial council elections in a region in Iraq, as electoral centers began opening their doors to citizens to cast their votes.
On Saturday (December 16th), the special voting process for the local elections for members of the security forces, displaced persons, and prison inmates took place, and ended with a participation rate of 67%.
Provincial council elections were last held in Iraq in 2013 before they were dissolved by the major demonstrations that swept the country in October 2019 in protest against the deteriorating living and service conditions, the spread of financial and administrative corruption, and the spread of corruption in state institutions and departments.
shafaq.com
"RV UPDATE" BY MARKZ, 18 DEC
MarkZ
[via PDK] ... article from the local news over there...says they have defeated the “parallel market” or the black market for currency. Why is this important? We were told this would be the next step before they released the new rate. So there is great expectation. They continue to tell the Iraqi people to watch for changes in the dinar values at stores and market places.
I am not worried about a float. None of my bankers are worried about a float...I was told that because of the “Oil for Dinar“ program –the redeeming banks or redemption centers that this will be our best price. All my bankers agree.
"RV UPDATE" BY FRANK26, 18 DEC
Frank26
On the 1st of January, you citizens of Iraq will no longer be able to use any foreign currency...Nothing except their currency. Their currency is worthless. Obviously they are cleaning the floor of the CBI from terrorism, counterfeiting, those in parliament that think they were going to take everything over again like Iran was planning but didn't work. This monetary reform education right now is extremely successful.
If you held your dinars for 1 year and you have the receipt to prove that, the date, then more than likely you'll be somewhere in the 20% range of taxes. If you...have no receipt, oh boy, you might be in the 40%. Yikes. You have 1 million, you'll have to give Uncle Sam $400,000. I'd rather give him $200,000 because I have a receipt where I've held my dinars for at least 1 year.Finance is discussing with the International Monetary Fund expanding the use of electronic payment devices, 18 DEC
Finance is discussing with the International Monetary Fund expanding the use of electronic payment devices, 18 DEC
Today, Monday, the Ministry of Finance discussed with the International Monetary Fund expanding the use of electronic payment devices.
The ministry stated in a statement received by Al-Sumaria News, “A delegation headed by the Minister of Finance, Taif Sami Muhammad, the advanced staff in the ministry, and a number of representatives of the ministries and the Central Bank of Iraq, participated in the meetings of the visiting mission ofInternational Monetary Fundexperts held in Jordan for the period from 12-14/17.” /2023″.
The meeting discussed, according to the statement, “the priorities for correcting public finances through structural reforms, represented by encouraging foreign trade payments to commercial banks and reducing dependence on cash, in addition to expanding the use of electronic devices.”POSand electronic payments and accelerating the completion of the restructuring of government banks.
On the other hand, the meeting discussed, according to the statement, “the actual expenses and revenues until September 2023 and the expected ones for the end of this year, and the spending ceilings for the year 2024, in addition to the appointments file contained in Budget Law No. (13) of 2023, financial reforms, bank structuring, and the automation of customs, taxes, and treasury accounts.” The unified and comprehensive banking system and the application of the POS electronic payment system for the purpose of maximizing revenues .
The statement added, “The meeting discussed supporting funds for which allocations are allocated in the general budget, in addition to structural reforms to support private sector development, increasing job opportunities, reforms of the retirement system and the social protection network, increased revenues and exports, higher economic growth, banking and electricity sector reforms, enhancing governance, and reducing corruption.”
As the meeting indicated, “roleCentral Bank of Iraq in tightening monetary policy appropriately with the aim of alleviating inflationary pressures by continuing to enhance liquidity management, as the Central Bank has achieved good progress in implementing technical assistance recommendations for managing local liquidity and bridging the time gap between auctions of bank instruments to ensure continuity of liquidity absorption. Sami explained, during the meeting, that “economic recovery is underway amid the return of commercial financing to normal and the large financial expansion, maintaining economic stability and the importance of coordination between monetary and financial policy and ensuring the sustainability of the need to gradually renew financial policy while maintaining spending on the necessary infrastructure and spending needs.” Social security, controlling the wage bill and increasing non-oil tax revenues. The Fund praised “the role played by member states in economic and financial reforms to achieve sustainable development goals.”
alsumaria.tv
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