Parliamentary criticism of Al-Sudani: He runs a “shadow cabinet” that will drag Iraq into collapse.
Parliamentary criticism of Al-Sudani: He runs a “shadow cabinet” that will drag Iraq into collapse.
2025-09-09 04:05
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Iraqi Parliament’s Transport and Communications Committee criticized the performance of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s advisors on Tuesday, warning that exceptional decisions to award projects to specific companies could lead to “recurring disasters,” such as the collapse of the al-Atishi Bridge in Karbala.
Committee member Haitham Al-Zarkani told Shafaq News Agency that Iraq suffers from an abundance of what he called “non-advisors,” which “has negatively impacted the level of planning in the transportation and communications sectors.”
According to Al-Zarkani, despite repeated calls to change the advisory cabinet since 2003, Al-Sudani has not responded to these calls, instead appointing a transportation advisor who “does not have sufficient experience in the sector,” as he put it.
He pointed out that “the Prime Minister has established a sort of ‘shadow cabinet,’ consisting of advisors who propose projects and grant exceptions that could lead the country to destruction, particularly in the areas of transportation and communications.”
Regarding the recent Karbala incident, Al-Zarkani said that the collapse of the Al-Atishi Bridge, which resulted in the deaths of two people and the injury of seven others, “could be repeated in other governorates, given the continued adoption of referrals based on recommendations or consultations issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.”
He continued, “In the case of the Karbala Bridge, there was direct consultation from the Prime Minister’s Office to the governor to award the project to a specific company,” stressing that “the central and local governments have sidelined the legislative and oversight role of parliament, including the Transport and Communications Committee, which has negatively impacted the quality of project implementation across the country.”
A bridge under construction in Karbala province collapsed on Saturday evening, landing on a number of vehicles passing underneath, killing two people and injuring seven others, according to the final toll announced by local authorities.
The collapsed bridge, known as the Al-Atishi Bridge and located near the entrance to the Baghdad Gate, suddenly collapsed, sending concrete and steel blocks falling onto cars and pedestrians in a shocking scene captured in videos that went viral on social media.
shafaq.com
