Wasit elect new local leaders after provincial polls

Shafaq News/ Wasit Provincial Council elected on Monday the chairman and the governor from the first session after the provincial elections on 18 December 2023.

Shafaq News Agency correspondent said that Ali Hussein Suleimon was elected as the chairman of the council by an absolute majority. The council voted for Mohammed Jameel Al-Miyahi as the governor of Wasit.

Earlier today Najaf Provincial Council unanimously voted for Hussein Al-Eisawi as its chairman, and Ghaith Shab'a as his deputy. After a half-hour break, the council chose Youssef Kanawi as the governor of Najaf, Ammar Al-Jazairi as his first deputy, and Karar Mahbouba as his second deputy.

On Sunday, The Saladin Provincial Council voted for Ahmed "Abu Mazen" Abdullah al-Jubouri, the leader of the al-Jamaheer (The Masses) party, to assume the role of head of the local government in the province, and Adel Abdul Salam and Mohammed Al-Hasan Atiya were elected as the president and deputy president of the council, respectively.

In Karbala, Qasim Al-Yasari from "Nabni" alliance and Mahfouz Al-Tamimi from " Ebda’a Karbala " alliance were chosen as the chairman and deputy chairman of the council, respectively, while the current governor, Nasif Jasim Al-Khatabi, and his deputy, Ali Al-Miyali, were reappointed.

Notably, the provincial councils are responsible for electing the governors and forming the local governments, which play a vital role in addressing the needs and demands of the local population.

On 18 December 2023, Iraqis in 15 out of 18 provinces voted for their provincial councils, the highest oversight bodies of subnational government and key providers of public services. The elections, which were delayed for years due to security, political, and social challenges, reflected the demographic and political changes in the country after the defeat of ISIS and the 2019 anti-government protests