Shafaq News– Babil
Civil activists in Iraq’s Babil province held public discussion forums on Saturday to coordinate a unified popular position on selecting a new governor, opting for community dialogue rather than street protests amid ongoing political competition over the post.
Activist Dhirgham Majid told Shafaq News that several political actors had sought to bypass legal procedures through closed-door meetings held outside the provincial center, but “local mobilization helped block those efforts.” He explained that residents across northern and southern Babil organized local forums in recent days, culminating in a central meeting aimed at agreeing on candidates seen as aligned with public demands.
Majid said the activists intend to submit agreed names to the provincial council before considering any large-scale public action, pointing out that public demands focus on appointing “a competent and honest governor capable of addressing deteriorating services and financial mismanagement, and avoiding a repeat of previous administrations accused of wasting public funds.”
Another activist, Marwan Al-Khafaji, said years of poor conditions in the province prompted residents to take what he described as a “national responsibility” to challenge attempts to impose candidates lacking popular support. He noted that the central meeting brought together representatives from across the province to identify credible figures with broad backing who could manage Babil’s affairs and reverse its decline.
As an outcome of the discussions, participants agreed to support former Babil lawmaker Amir Al-Maamouri as a potential candidate for governor, while keeping nominations open to any qualified individual who puts themselves forward.
Political competition over the post continues between the State of Law Coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, led by Qais al-Khazali, according to informed sources.
The vacancy followed the election of outgoing governor Adnan Fayhan as first deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament earlier this week, after lawmakers chose Haibet al-Halbousi as speaker during the opening session of the sixth parliamentary term.
Babil has a history of unrest linked to governance disputes. In 2020, the provincial council voted to dismiss its chairman and deputies in response to mass protests, following the leak of an audio recording allegedly involving orders to security forces to arrest demonstrators and block roads. The decision came hours before nationwide protests against the government of then-prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and accusations of systemic corruption.
Sources told Shafaq News that the post is currently being managed on an interim basis by the first deputy governor until political blocs within the provincial council reach an agreement on a permanent appointment.