TNT:

Tishwash: US State Department: Elected Iraqi leaders have the authority to form the next government

The US State Department confirmed on Saturday that the parties and political forces that won the sixth parliamentary elections in Iraq, which were recently held, can proceed with forming the new federal government.

A spokesperson for the US State Department congratulated the Iraqi people on the "peaceful" elections, adding that "their elected leaders now have the sovereign authority to determine the formation of the next Iraqi government."

He affirmed that "we will continue to strengthen US-Iraqi relations based on mutual respect and common interests."

Last Thursday, the US President’s Special Envoy to Iraq, Mark Savva, offered his sincere congratulations to the Iraqi people on the successful completion of the recent parliamentary elections, considering it “a fundamental step to strengthen democracy and stability in the country.”

The US envoy affirmed that "the United States remains strongly committed to supporting Iraq's sovereignty, reform efforts, and reducing foreign interference and armed groups," noting that his country "looks forward to working with the Iraqi government to deepen the strategic partnership in the areas of security, energy, and development, and to contribute to building a stable and prosperous future for all Iraqis."

On the ninth and eleventh of November, Iraq held special and general voting in the parliamentary elections for the sixth parliamentary session, as part of a democratic practice in the political process that emerged after 2003 through the overthrow of the former Baath regime by the forces of the United States of America and its allies. link

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Tishwash: Government advisor: Amending the Commercial Agency Law supports Iraq's requirements for joining the World Trade Organization

The Prime Minister’s financial advisor, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, confirmed on Sunday that the Cabinet’s approval of the draft law amending the Commercial Agency Regulation Law would support Iraq’s accession to the World Trade Organization and improve market efficiency by reducing prices and raising the quality of goods, as well as supporting investment and integration into the global economy.

Saleh told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The first amendment to the existing Commercial Agency Regulation Law represents an important legislative reform that enhances competitiveness, improves the quality of goods and services, and supports investment and integration into the global economy,” noting that “the amendment also contributes to building a more disciplined and equitable market, which will directly impact economic growth and consumer protection in Iraq.”

He added that "this amendment comes to address the gaps that appeared during the application of the law since 2017, whose main goal was and still is to promote and regulate commercial activity and improve the business environment in Iraq."

He explained that “the motives for the amendment are directed towards important axes, including addressing cases of actual monopoly by some commercial agencies in key sectors such as sensitive devices, consumer goods, and others, as well as the need for more precise regulation of the relationship between foreign companies and local agents in accordance with international standards, with the necessity of raising the level of transparency and disclosure in registering agencies and documenting their contracts,”

Noting that “all the contents of the amendment are consistent with the need to protect the consumer from substandard goods and weak after-sales services, as we have explained, which drain the consumer and the national economy.”

He stated that "the amendment comes to support the state's direction towards improving the investment environment and attracting global companies directly to the national market."

He stated that "the most prominent aspects of the amendment are based on opening the field to greater competition between agents and preventing disguised monopolies, tightening registration and auditing procedures for commercial agencies through the Ministry of Commerce

In addition to clearer and stronger regulation of contracts between the local agent and the foreign supplier, which enhances the rights of both parties, and obligating agents to higher standards of quality, warranty and maintenance, as well as strengthening governmental and tax oversight and digitization in agency procedures, and providing an important entry point towards building a competitive and fair market away from the dominance of closed agencies, and supporting the requirements for the country's accession to the World Trade Organization by enhancing transparency and competition."

He added that "amending the law also leads to strengthening national supply chains, encouraging local manufacturing, and establishing a stable and attractive legal environment for foreign direct investment that is consistent with global quality standards in developing the business environment, which is the focus of the World Bank and international trade and economic organizations."

He pointed out that "the implications of amending the existing Commercial Agencies Regulation Law are embodied in providing important economic pathways, foremost among them improving market efficiency by reducing prices and raising the quality of goods as a result of increased competition, in addition to attracting new international companies and brands to the Iraqi market

Reducing the restrictions imposed by monopolies, stimulating local investment in the fields of distribution, logistics and commercial services, in addition to protecting the consumer and providing better products with more committed after-sales services, and increasing state revenues by controlling tax compliance and regulating import operations link

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Tishwash: Sudani is making a two-day visit to the Kurdistan Region

An informed source reported on Saturday that Federal Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani will visit Erbil next Monday.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that Al-Sudani will hold a meeting with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and a number of regional government officials.

The source added that Al-Sudani will head the following day (Tuesday) to the city of Duhok, where he will participate in a special event for the MEPs conference at the American University of Kurdistan in Duhok.

This is the first visit by a senior federal official and the first by a winner in the recent elections to the region.

Preliminary results announced by the Independent High Electoral Commission showed that al-Sudani and nine members of his government won, while four other ministers lost despite receiving thousands of votes.

The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq announced on Wednesday evening that the “Reconstruction and Development” alliance, led by Al-Sudani, had made significant progress in the preliminary results, achieving 1,317,346 votes in 12 out of 18 governorates. The Progress Party, headed by former Speaker of Parliament Mohammed Al-Halbousi, came in second, and the State of Law Coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, came in third.

According to election monitoring organizations, Shiite lists obtained 187 seats out of the total number of seats, including some seats within Sunni lists.

The tables also showed that Sunni lists won 77 seats, while Kurdish lists won 56 seats, and Yazidi candidates won one seat. link

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