Wasit governor rejects plan for new Suwaira province

Shafaq News- Wasit

Wasit governor Ali Salimon on Tuesday objected to a provincial council decision to begin the process of creating a new province of Suwaira from districts in northern Wasit.

In a statement, Salimon said his objection rests on the constitution and the laws governing the creation of provinces, adding that "Wasit is one and indivisible."

The provincial council voted by majority on September 29 to recommend that the federal government and parliament create Suwaira province, separating northern Wasit from the provincial capital, Kut. Wasit lies southeast of Baghdad and borders Iran.

Supporters cite geographic, demographic, and economic grounds, including the Suwaira district's distance of about 130 kilometers from Kut and its weight in agriculture and oil.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Wasit, Life along the Tigris in the east