Iraq’s share in the IMF
Iraq’s share in the IMF
2024/11/06
When Iraq announced that it had paid off all its debts to the International Monetary Fund last May, Reuters quoted the Fund as saying that Iraq was facing internal imbalances exacerbated by the large financial expansion and the decline in oil prices, and that it needed to gradually correct the public finances to achieve debt stability in the medium term and rebuild reserves.
At the same time, despite the expansion in public finance management with the aim of achieving significant increases in growth rates, the Ministry of Planning announced a decline in inflation rates from 7.5 percent to 4 percent, which is a positive precedent that has never happened before and is credited to those in charge of monetary and financial policies. It was leaked from the Central Bank that the cash reserve exceeds 110 billion dollars and that the country’s gold reserves amounted to nearly 150 tons.
The full repayment of the country’s debt to the International Monetary Fund, the decline in the inflation rate and the increase in the cash reserve rates were indicators of a major shift in economic policies, not because the amount of debt was large, exceeding about eight billion dollars, but because such debts are usually conditional in the context of the so-called economic reform program that aims to privatize state functions and link the country’s fate to the policies of the creditor parties and those behind them. It is known globally that governments that can get rid of the burden of debt to the Fund and the World Bank are the most successful in managing the affairs of their countries and implementing their programs related to supporting macroeconomic stability and implementing the necessary financial reforms. Supporting the ration card program was not only a direct reason for reducing inflation rates, but other factors related to monetary and financial policies and limiting parallel markets, and the flow of foreign currency with supporting the local product contributed to achieving this. Thus, increasing the percentage of the country’s gold reserves contributed as a tool to cover the local currency and a safe means of hedging against economic fluctuations and security tensions witnessed by the world and the region.
Accordingly, those in charge of economic policy files prove their success, and it is our duty to point out that these successes, just as it was our duty to always point out the points of weakness and stumbling with the aim of monitoring and correcting, have proven the inaccuracy of the vision presented by the International Monetary Fund regarding the situation of public finances, debts, and rebuilding reserves.
Today, Iraq intends to increase its share in the International Monetary Fund by the equivalent of 1.45 trillion dinars, which will support its voting power within the Fund, contribute to attracting investments, create a promising business environment, and achieve real development, thus addressing the problem of inflation in the labor market and implementing the components of the government program.
alsabaah.iq
