Economist: Al-Zidi’s government broke its promises and joined the “claws” of the International Monetary Fund
Economist: Al-Zidi’s government broke its promises and joined the “claws” of the International Monetary Fund
10-20-2026
The Information Agency / Baghdad…
Economic expert Haitham al-Khazali asserted on Tuesday that the Prime Minister has reneged on his official promises to rely on a single economic option to address the financial crisis. He explained that the government has instead thrown itself into the trap of external borrowing and prolonging the crises through the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Al-Khazali told the Information Agency, “The government had promised to pursue only the option of raising the exchange rate without resorting to other measures such as borrowing or manipulating employee salaries. However, it has officially violated this promise by submitting an urgent request to the IMF for a loan.”
He added, “This loan will allow the IMF to directly intervene in shaping the country’s economic policies and impose dictates that include increasing taxes and raising customs duties.” He warned that “these measures will have a negative impact and directly harm the poor and vulnerable segments of society.”
Al-Khazali explained that “the government should have avoided resorting to both raising the exchange rate and external borrowing simultaneously, and instead pursued genuine national alternatives.” He pointed out that “the available alternatives include controlling border crossings by activating the electronic ASYCUDA system, reducing the allocations for the three presidencies, special grades, and members of parliament, as well as implementing real austerity measures in the budget instead of government bloat, expanding ministries, and appointing deputy prime ministers.”
