Shafaq News-Baghdad
A member ofIraq's parliament demanded Monday that Baghdad's governor be forcibly retired,accusing him of clinging to office in violation of a retirement law that appliesto every state employee in the country without exception.
Thairal-Kaabi, representing the National Approach bloc (Al-Nahj Al-Watani), told apress conference that Governor Atwan al-Atwani has passed the legally mandatedretirement age and that his continued tenure is "an open breach" of RetirementLaw No. 9 of 2014. The law, al-Kaabi said, covers all civil servants, and thegovernor —as the highest executive official in his administrative unit— is notexempt. “There is no legal basis for the exception, and no justification forthe delay.”
Al-Atwaniisa senior figure in the State of Law Coalition (SLC), led by former PrimeMinister Nouri al-Maliki. He previously served as Baghdad’s governor in 2017and returned to the post after the retirement of former governor Abdul-Muttalibal-Alawi, who is also affiliated with the coalition.
Baghdad,home to nearly a quarter of Iraq's population and the seat of federal power, isamong the most politically consequential governorships in the country.
Al-Kaabiwarned that allowing the situation to continue risks eroding public confidencein state institutions and creating a precedent that the law bends for thosewith the right political backing, which strikes at the principle of equaltreatment under the law. "Respecting and applying the law fairly," hesaid, "is the foundation of a state of institutions."
