Al-Maliki calls to build institutional state
Baghdad, 16 July 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday called for a new phase of ties between the central government and provinces, stressing the importance of partnership and building an institutional state.
“The ties between the central government and local authorities must be based on cooperation and partnership to remove the remnants of destruction left by the former regime of Saddam Hussein,” a PM office statement, received by Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq(VOI), cited al-Maliki as saying.
The PM called to “establish an institutional state based on the rule of law and respect all residents regardless of their political, partisan, or sectarian belongings,” adding “efforts must be exerted to stop the return of dictatorship and one-party state”.
Al-Maliki emphasized the importance of “utilizing all efforts to implement reconstruction and coordinating between provinces in rebuilding and economic fields.”
He cited the improvement of security as a motivation to “open Iraq to domestic and foreign investments in reconstruction projects.”
The PM underlined the importance of “providing job opportunities for academic and university graduates in reconstruction to decrease the levels of unemployment.”
The Iraqi Parliament has been a scene of heated debates on the provincial elections law this week and has not yet legislated any law that determines the shape of the state.
However, the provincial council law specifies the system of government in Iraq, and if applied, a federal system may be established in the country.
The draft law on provincial council elections proposes an open slate system, which gives voters influence over the position of the candidates placed on the party list and allows an individual voting system.