Iraqi retirees are angry about the delay in their pensions and are demanding that banking officials be held accountable.
On Tuesday, a number of retirees called on members of parliament to host those responsible for the delay in salary payments, particularly the directors of government banks, specifically Al-Rafidain and Al-Rasheed banks.
The retirees told Shafaq News Agency that the lack of financial liquidity, along with weak banking development, the failure to introduce modern technologies and keep pace with technology, have greatly contributed to the exacerbation of the crises, in addition to the absence of strategic plans and poor performance in banking work.
He pointed out that modernizing banking systems and adopting modern electronic means would increase revenues, strengthen the state treasury, and improve the level of services provided to citizens.
The retirees also called on the relevant authorities to take urgent measures to address the crisis and ensure the regular disbursement of salaries, given its direct impact on the living conditions of a large segment of citizens.
The Ministry of Finance had previously called on government banks to work on Friday and Saturday in order to boost funding and expedite salary payments, but this step did not achieve tangible results due to the continued shortage of liquidity and financial balance. link
FIREFLY: ...There's is a severe shortage of dinars...
FRANK: Of course there is a storage of 3 zero notes. That's been the whole purpose of the monetary reform for...many years now. This is when you need to raise the value of your currency so you can introduce the lower notes...It's not a crisis...It's a continuation process of the monetary reform that has put you in a position to raise your currency value so you can introduce liquidity...This is all great news.
OmarApparently whatever was signed with the CBI and the media busted all of this [Maliki Wikileaks] information loose...It's become a noticeable topic of discussion among the public.The details about Maliki's alleged corruption are definitely out there on Iraq's television...
ANOTHER BLOW TO THE CONSTITUTION: THE FAILURE TO ELECT A PRESIDENT BRINGS BACK THE SCENARIO OF COLDLY DISREGARDING CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS.
The constitutional process in Iraq has suffered another setback with the postponement of the presidential election session, despite the country nearing the end of the constitutional deadline.
This comes at a time when Parliament was expected to resolve this sovereign issue, amidst escalating political disputes, particularly within the Kurdish political bloc, and conflicting interpretations regarding adherence to constitutional timelines.
In a move that has raised widespread questions, the parliamentary session designated for electing the president did not convene, even though the constitutional deadline is in its final stages. This has revived fears of a repeat of past instances where deadlines were exceeded.
The Parliament’s media office announced the postponement of the presidential election session in a brief statement, without specifying a new date. Some members of Parliament stated that the postponement was due to the lack of necessary political consensus to hold the session, which has opened the door to various interpretations regarding the future of the process and the possibility of circumventing constitutional deadlines.
A Kurdish request for postponement: According to official documents, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) submitted a request to postpone the session due to ongoing disagreements within the Kurdish political bloc regarding the presidential candidate. The lack of a final consensus that would allow for a decisive election session prompted the postponement to avoid the session’s failure or its holding without results. The core of the crisis lies in the continued division between the two main Kurdish parties. The KDP has put forward its candidate, Fuad Hussein, while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) insists on its candidate, Nizar Amidi. Political mediation efforts have thus far failed to unify positions or agree on a compromise candidate, leaving the presidency hostage to the Kurdish-Kurdish dispute and its repercussions on the power balance in Baghdad.
Political analyst Ali Nasser, familiar with the issue of exceeding deadlines, stated that “adherence to constitutional deadlines has not been consistent in past sessions, as we have witnessed, on more than one occasion, exceeding these deadlines, sometimes by several months.”
Nasser added to Iraq Observer that “what distinguishes the current phase from its predecessors is the clear emphasis by the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, on the necessity of adhering to important constitutional deadlines, even though the Iraqi constitution does not explicitly stipulate penalties for exceeding these deadlines.”
Nasser explained that “divisions within the Kurdish political bloc have directly impacted the selection of the president, given the lack of a unified candidate from the two main parties,” noting that “these divisions coincided with the nomination of Nouri al-Maliki for the premiership, which has added a new layer of complexity to the political landscape.” He added that “the agreements were supposed to be decided first within the Kurdish house, before moving on to discussing them with the Coordination Framework as the representative of the largest bloc, but the recent meetings, whether between the Coordination Framework and the Democratic Party, or with the Patriotic Union, did not result in setting clear deadlines or agreeing on final names.”
In this context, constitutional experts explain that Article (72/First/B) of the Constitution set the deadline for electing the President of the Republic at thirty days from the date of the first meeting of the new House of Representatives. Since the House held its first session on December 29, 2025, the last day of the constitutional deadline is January 29, 2026.
(Mnt Goat: This date is Thursday, today! )
They emphasize that the calculation of the period begins from the date of the meeting, not from the date of the vote, and that any interpretation to the contrary leads to an unjustified extension of a deadline explicitly stipulated in the constitution, noting that the procedural deadlines for nomination, objection and judicial resolution are part of this deadline and not added to it.
With open scenarios and the country entering the final days of the constitutional deadline, fears are growing that the continuation of political disputes will lead to a new postponement, which may open the door to another jump over deadlines, not only in the election of the President of the Republic, but also with regard to the appointment of the next Prime Minister, in a scene that indicates the weakness of political consensus, and the difficulty of managing constitutional entitlements within their specified timeframes.
🇮🇶 A New Exchange Rate Is Being Admitted — Even by Iranian Politicians
According to Frank26, a stunning development is unfolding behind the scenes:
“Iranian politicians in Iraq are admitting you are about to receive a new exchange rate with the new formation of your government.”
This admission is critical. It signals that the currency reform is no longer speculation, but an acknowledged outcome — pending final political seating.
What Must Happen First:
✅ Seat the President
✅ Confirm the Prime Minister
❌ Remove hostile foreign influence
Once these steps are complete, Frank26 says the next phase begins immediately.
⚠️ Coordinating Framework Tries to Claim Credit
Frank26 warns that the Coordinating Framework party is attempting to take credit for the coming changes.
“They are trying to take credit for something that does not belong to them because they know it’s coming.”
Why? Because they cannot stop it.
Frank26 describes this moment as:
“Capitulation on steroids.”
In other words, resistance has failed — and the shift is inevitable.
Iranian politicians in [Iraq] are admitting you are about to receive a new exchange rate with the new formation of your government as soon as you get that president and the prime minister in place. Indeed, this is jumping the gun and [the Coordinating Framework party] are trying to take credit for something that does not belong to them because they know it's coming. They cannot stop it...That is capitulation on steroids...
The United States of America right now...are in the process of removing Maliki and Alaq because they are loyal to Iran and that's too dangerous for the monetary reform. They shouldn't have been playing all these games. The evidence we have against them is bad. There's a chance for Sudani but there is no chance for Alaq and Maliki.
The next step will be a massive campaign that will start to talk to the citizens about all the things [we] have talked to you about for a long time..
Clare
Article: "The Central Bank of Iraq is the first institution in the Iraqi state to implement program and performance budgeting"
Quote: "The Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Iraq... approved the Bank's budget for 2026, adopting the program and performance budgeting methodology ...the Central Bank of Iraq announces its readiness to provide technical support and training to Iraqi state institutions, and to assist them in moving from the traditional method of preparing budgets to modern methods adopted globally, in a way that contributes to the development of public financial management and the strengthening of the principles of efficiency and good governance."
MARK SAVAYA SAYS ROADMAP UNDERWAY TO CONFRONT CORRUPTION CRISIS IN IRAQ
Mark Savaya said a roadmap is being implemented to confront corruption in Iraq, track stolen funds, identify beneficiaries, and enforce accountability in coordination with US institutions, as Washington highlights Iraq’s stabilizing regional role.
As political negotiations advance and security challenges persist, a parallel and more sensitive battle is taking shape in Iraq: a comprehensive effort to confront corruption, trace stolen wealth, and restore accountability at the highest levels of the state.
Mark Savaya, United States Special Envoy to the Republic of Iraq, said that while teams are working on the ground in Iraq to support the formation of a new government and prevent Iranian-backed militias from rising to positions of power, an equally critical priority lies ahead: confronting the country’s deep-rooted corruption crisis and clarifying the fate of stolen Iraqi funds.
“While our team works on the ground in Iraq to support the formation of a new government and to prevent Iranian backed militias from rising to positions of power, it is equally and even more critical to prepare for confronting the corruption crisis in Iraq,” Savaya said.
He stressed that the effort must extend beyond tracking money looted and transferred outside the country, emphasizing the need to determine where those funds ended up and how they were ultimately used.
Savaya explained that through coordination with other institutions, authorities now possess a comprehensive understanding of the individuals involved in corruption cases, including senior government officials and members of their families who benefited from stolen Iraqi funds.
“These funds were not only used to purchase multiple properties across several countries, but were also used to obtain foreign citizenships and passports, sometimes under the same names and in other cases under different identities, in order to evade future tracking and accountability,” he said.
According to Savaya, the majority of these cases are concentrated within the region, while others extend beyond it through citizenship-by-investment programs offered by certain countries.
He noted that this information significantly enhances the ability to pursue accountability, recover stolen assets, and cooperate with international partners to confront corruption at its source.
Savaya warned that corruption does not only harm the Iraqi people or undermine national security, but also empowers terrorist groups and fuels terrorist activities across multiple countries.
“We will work very closely with the United States Treasury and OFAC to ensure that accountability is enforced on all wrongdoing parties without exception, that no one is above the law, and that justice is delivered to the Iraqi people,” he said.
The remarks come as the United States has praised Iraq’s growing role in promoting stability in Syria and across the wider region. In a response to Kurdistan24, the US Department of State described Iraq’s contributions as “indispensable” to collective security efforts and reflective of a “profound commitment to collective security.”
Amid intensified US-Iraq coordination, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani, during which he commended Iraq’s leadership in managing the relocation of ISIS detainees from Syria to secure facilities inside Iraq. Rubio described the operation as critical amid instability in Western Kurdistan and stressed that Iraq’s stabilizing role depends on maintaining political independence.
As Iraq’s regional responsibilities expand, the push to confront corruption and recover stolen assets is being framed as a decisive test of sovereignty, justice, and long-term national security.
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