News, Rumors and Opinions Saturday 4-25-2026
KTFA:
Clare: The President of the Republic affirms to the Governor of the Central Bank the necessity of strengthening the dinar and continuing reforms.
4/25/2026
President Nizar Amidi emphasized to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, on Saturday the necessity of strengthening the Iraqi dinar and continuing reforms.
A statement from the Presidency indicated that Amidi "received the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, at Baghdad Palace on Saturday, April 25, 2026, who offered his congratulations to the President on assuming the presidency."
The President expressed his "gratitude for the kind congratulations, stressing the importance of cooperation between monetary and financial institutions to support economic stability and achieve sustainable development."
Amidi also emphasized the need to strengthen the Iraqi dinar and continue reforms, noting that the Presidency supports the bank's monetary policies that contribute to improving the standard of living for citizens and stimulating growth in the country. LINK
Clare: Saturday's meeting: 5 names in the race for prime minister, and the decision is nearing.
4/25/2026
The Reconstruction and Development Coalition, led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, revealed on Saturday that it is close to finalizing the coordination framework for its final candidate for prime minister, while an informed source stated that an upcoming meeting will discuss voting on a number of prominent names.
Coalition leader Khalid Walid told Shafaq News Agency that "discussions and mutual visits between political forces are still ongoing, and a meeting is expected to take place this evening between Sudani and the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, to resolve the issue of choosing the prime minister."
Walid indicated that "there are expectations that this matter will be resolved within the day."
Regarding talk of holding early elections, he explained that "some parties that are proposing this option realize that going to the House of Representatives at the present time is not in their interest, especially since their electoral size does not enable them to pass their positions within Parliament."
Walid continued, saying that "the commitment of political forces, whether within the national sphere or within the coordination framework, to achieve consensus, even at a minimum level, to ensure unity of political decision-making, is currently facing clear obstacles that hinder reaching final understandings."
He concluded by saying that "the Reconstruction and Development Coalition will have a clear position, and will present alternatives in case of failure to decide on the name of the designated candidate, and these options will be announced at a later time."
In this context, a source within the coordination framework revealed to Shafaq News Agency that today’s meeting will discuss the voting mechanism for the final candidate for the next prime minister.
He indicated that "the names being considered include former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the head of the Accountability and Justice Commission Bassem al-Badri, and politician Adnan al-Zurfi, in addition to al-Maliki and al-Sudani."
The source noted that "the candidate who obtains two-thirds of the votes of the leaders of the coordination framework will be officially announced as the candidate for the next government," indicating that "all candidates will be put to individual voting through several rounds."
It is worth noting that an informed political source told Shafaq News Agency that a second meeting was held at the home of the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, following the meeting of the Coordination Framework forces at the home of Humam Hamoudi on Friday evening, to discuss the path of forming the next government and distributing ministerial portfolios among the political blocs.
These moves come after a meeting of the Coordination Framework yesterday, which ended without deciding on a candidate for the premiership, after it became impossible to pass the candidates of the two main poles within the framework, namely the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, and the outgoing Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, or whoever represents him in the nomination, in addition to putting forward new candidates.
The coordinating framework, which includes the ruling Shiite political forces in Iraq, has repeatedly failed to decide on its candidate for prime minister, while the government formation process has entered a critical phase following the election of Nizar Amidi as president of the republic. This puts the largest bloc before a constitutional deadline ending today, Saturday, to officially present its candidate, amid fears of a return to the political deadlock. LINK
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Courtesy of Dinar Guru: https://www.dinarguru.com/
JeffOnce the government is 100% done that allows them to revalue the currency...The only thing we really care about right now is the formation of the government, more specifically the prime minister position because that's the last final one...The HCL comes after the rate changes.
Frank26 [Iraq boots-on-the-ground report] OMAR: We see the Finance Minister talking about how our reserves are reaching the red line level...Everybody in Iraq knows there's no more dollar... FRANK: The CBI is forced now to tap into your reserves or to make large loans for the GOI...The solution is to release the value of your currency. They know that...The CBI...has no choice but to lift the value of your currency. Alaq knows he messed up. He knows he's in trouble and Alaq knows his days are numbered...
Reset Intelligence On Thursday in Baghdad, parliament extended its own term by 30 days. Surprise level = zero. Every Iraqi cabinet formation since 2005 has missed its constitutional clock. The 2018 cycle ran eight months before key ministries were filled. The 2022 cycle ran more than a year before a government stood up...The room parliament walked back into is the one that matters. The 2026 budget is closed...Article 24 blocks new borrowing until a seated parliament passes a law. The oil-proceeds cash pallets through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York are halted. Reserves stress was signaled on Iraqi state television this week.That corners the CBI to two levers: draw down reserves, or reprice the dinar. One of those got a signal this week. The other did not. Well not yet anyway...
The Authentic Judy Shelton: A Maverick Economist Takes on Washington
Gold Telegraph: 4-23-2026
The global monetary system is being questioned like never before. In this documentary, Alex Deluce sits down with economist Judy Shelton to explore the past, present, and future of money — from Bretton Woods and the Nixon Shock to gold, central banks, and the growing distrust in fiat currencies.
Shelton has spent decades challenging the system.
Advocating for sound money.
Warning about the consequences of endless debt and currency debasement.
Now, those warnings are going mainstream. This is a story about power, trust, and the future of the dollar.
I hope you enjoy.