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CandyKisses:  The President of the Republic congratulates the advent of Eid Al-Fitr

Baghdad Today - Baghdad

President of the Republic Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid congratulated on Friday the Iraqi people on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.

Rashid said in a tweet on Twitter followed by (Baghdad Today), "With the advent of the blessed Eid al-Fitr, my warmest congratulations to all Iraqis, and all Muslims."

"Every year, our country and our people enjoy peace and prosperity. May God return him with goodness, Yemen and blessings, and to consolidate security and stability throughout the country."

Tishwash:  International Report: Eid announces the beginning of a new phase in the Middle East and the improvement of Iraq's conditions

In a report published Thursday, the Associated Press International described the beginning of Eid al-Fitr celebrations as a "declaration" of the beginning of a new phase in the Middle East that is witnessing the spread of peace and reconciliation, despite the emergence of a new conflict in the region, this time far from Iraq, according to its description.

The agency said, according to what was translated (Baghdad Today), that Iraq is no longer the focus of the poor security situation after its significant improvement and the entry of the countries of the region that have conflicted with each other for years a stage of "reconciliation" that led to the achievement of peace in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, in A reference to the Saudi-Iranian agreement. 

The agency also indicated that the holiday that comes this time with the presence of "effects of destruction and conflict" in large areas of the Middle East that are still suffering from the effects of previous security events, now carries with it signs of a new phase in the Middle East with the Saudi-Iranian agreement and the Gulf states' tendency towards restoring relations. With Syria, in addition to stopping the conflict in Yemen. 

The improvement of the political and security situation in the region, according to the agency, worsened the outbreak of conflict in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Intervention Forces, following clashes between the two parties that led to "hundreds of victims" despite international calls to stop the violence.  link

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Tishwash:  Iraq: Crowds in the Eid markets, without buying

Markets are not as usual every year, despite the crowd of pedestrians in their streets, in Iraq they are witnessing a noticeable stagnation and lack of shopping with the advent of Eid Al-Fitr.

The reasons for this are multiple, including the high prices of materials and commodities, and the significant decline in the purchasing power of employees and those with daily wages and limited income.

This holiday represents a new challenge for the poor and low-income class, due to the lack of approval of the budget law after the passage of the first third of the current year 2023, in addition to the instability of prices and the stability of the dollar price in the parallel market.

High prices

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed surveyed the opinions of a number of citizens in a market in the capital, Baghdad, where they complained about the continued high prices of clothes, holiday cakes, and foodstuffs, despite the Iraqi government's announcement to reduce the exchange rate of the dollar in an attempt to address the high prices of goods and materials in the markets.

Citizen Nazim Kamel held the merchants responsible for the rise in prices, because they took advantage of the need of Iraqi families who used to buy foodstuffs and pastries in preparation for the holidays.

Kamel explained that the exchange rate of the dollar against the dinar decreased relatively about 3 weeks ago in the parallel market, but the high prices of goods and materials are still exhausting the pockets of Iraqi families, especially employees and people with limited income or those who do not have stable sources of income.

Kamel called on the governmental and oversight agencies to intervene quickly and put an end to what he considers "exploitation of merchants" during the Eid period, which increases the burden and burdens the citizens.

For his part, citizen Atef Al-Azzawi added that the prices of sheep, cows and poultry meat are also witnessing a significant increase, as the price of a kilogram of lamb exceeded 20 thousand dinars (about 14 dollars), while its price at the beginning of this year was less than 16 thousand, which means That the price increased by 3 to 4 dollars per kilogram.

Al-Azzawi stressed that the market has become in a state of constant turmoil, with the absence of any governmental oversight or efforts working to limit this large increase in prices, indicating that there are many merchants who took advantage of this crisis in order to manipulate price levels and achieve the largest amount of profits at the expense of citizens.

Traders problems

Traders say that the rise in prices is not in their hands, as they face major problems related to the decline in the purchasing power of citizens, explaining that their goods remained in the warehouses due to the lack of demand for purchase.

A wholesaler in Baghdad, Amer Jumaa, said that the markets and subsidiary retail stores buy various commodities and merchandise in bulk from warehouses and large companies, and most of these companies import goods from abroad at official dollar prices supported by the Central Bank and through the currency sale window, which is Responsible for setting prices in the markets, where small traders buy their goods from these companies, which refuse to reduce prices.

Juma blamed the major import companies in Iraq for the high prices. Jumaa added that the value of the dinar has recently increased against the dollar, but there are materials that were purchased before this rise, and therefore we cannot sell them at a lower price in order to avoid losses.

Economic expert Karim El-Helou believes that the state of turmoil and financial instability in the market is mainly caused by the high value of the dollar and the technical problems that accompanied the electronic platform concerned with selling the dollar, the monopoly of import at the official price by subsidized companies and the deprivation of small traders and small companies from obtaining the dollar at the official price.

Al-Helou added, in his interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the dollar’s ​​rise in the parallel market led to instability and an increase in the prices of food, consumer goods, clothing, and other imported goods.

Al-Helou pointed out that there are large numbers of low-income people and those below the poverty line who suffer from high prices compared to the declining standard of living. With the spending and living standards of the Iraqi family.   link

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