2022 Year in Review

The Netherlands had to evacuate its embassy from this International Zone, and officials
from Kuwait advised Kuwaiti citizens residing in Iraq to leave the country amid the
unrest. For a brief period, its neighbouring country Iran closed its borders and halted
flights to Iraq.
Al-Sadr’s armed militia, Saraya al-Salam, also stormed the headquarters of their rival
Iran-backed groups. Following this bloodshed, al-Sadr condemned the protest, and
urged his Sadrist loyalists to call off the protests and to disperse from the Green Zone.
Along with the exit from politics, al-Sadr also announced the closure of other Sadrist
institutions barring some religious sites.
Moreover, the Sadrist Movement has refused to join the new Iraqi government. But,
given al-Sadr’s history of announcing withdrawal from politics only to re-enter later,
many expect him to make a comeback.
Al-Sadr, who portrays himself as an Iraqi nationalist, is backed by a legion of faithful
advocates who support his ideologies. The dominant role he has played in the history of
the country cannot be understated, and his influence among Iraqis is unlikely to end.
T H E P O L I T I C A L S Y S T E M A N D
F O R M A T I O N O F G O V E R N M E N T I N 2 0 2 2
Iraq’s political system is designed such that power is shared among each sect or
ethno-religious group of the country. According to this Muhasasa system, the
position of president is reserved for the Kurds, the position of prime minister for
Shia Muslims, and that of speaker of the parliament for Sunni Muslims.
After a two-round vote in October 2022, the Iraqi parliament elected Abdul Latif
Rashid as the new president after he secured more votes than the incumbent
President Barham Saleh.
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The newly elected Kurdish President then named Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as
Prime Minister. Al-Sudani – a nominee of Coordination Framework – will lead
the newly formed government. He has proposed to combat corruption, address
poverty and accelerate economic reforms. With the backing of many dominant
Shia parties and the Coordination Framework, the al-Sudani-led government can
achieve substantial results if it is able to accommodate the interest of all actors
in the process.