Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid has filed a lawsuit against Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Finance Minister Taif Sami over unpaid salaries for civil servants in the autonomous Kurdistan region, highlighting a growing rift within the country’s leadership.
The lawsuit, submitted to Iraq’s top court last month but only disclosed on Sunday by Rashid’s adviser, Hawri Tawfiq, seeks a legal order ensuring uninterrupted salary payments despite ongoing financial disputes between Baghdad and Arbil, the Kurdish regional capital.
Iraq’s public sector has long been plagued by inefficiency and corruption, and tensions between Sudani and Rashid have been brewing. While public sector workers received their January salaries, they are still awaiting payment for December. Tawfiq stated that the lawsuit’s revelation coincided with mounting protests in Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan’s second-largest city and Rashid’s hometown, where demonstrators voiced frustration over salary delays.
Protests and Political Reactions
The delayed payments have sparked unrest. On Sunday, hundreds of protesters from Sulaimaniyah attempted to march in Arbil but were met with tear gas by security forces, according to local media. In Sulaimaniyah, a two-week sit-in continues, with 13 teachers resorting to a hunger strike.
Kurdistan Regional President Nechirvan Barzani recently praised Sudani for his cooperation on financial matters, including salary disbursements. However, last year, Iraq’s top court ruled that the federal government should directly cover public sector salaries in Kurdistan, bypassing the regional administration—an outcome that many employees in Sulaimaniyah had long demanded. Officials, however, cite technical issues for ongoing irregularities in payments.
Escalating Tensions in Baghdad
Political analyst Ihssan al-Shemmari described the lawsuit as a clear indication of deepening divisions within Iraq’s executive branch.
“We are witnessing a significant fracture within the government, and it is now playing out in the open,” Shemmari said.
The tensions escalated further in January when Sudani ordered an investigation into IQ Internet Services, a company owned by Rashid’s son. Lawmaker Hanan al-Fatlawi took to social media platform X to address Rashid, stating, “The fines on your son’s company IQ… are enough to pay the salaries” in Kurdistan.
As financial and political tensions continue to mount, the legal battle over salary payments in Kurdistan is poised to further strain Iraq’s fragile leadership.
