Maliki begins holding meetings with political blocs and calls for the formation of a “strong government”.

On Monday, Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, called for continued efforts to form a “strong government” during his meeting with delegations from the National Approach Alliance and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party.

The State of Law Coalition’s media office said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that “the head of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, received in his office today delegations from the National Approach Alliance and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party, in two separate meetings dedicated to exchanging congratulations on the success of the elections and the completion of the constitutional entitlement.”

He pointed out that “the two meetings discussed the latest developments in the political process and the results of the ongoing dialogues between the national forces.”

According to the statement, Maliki stressed “the importance of continuing joint efforts to expedite the formation of a strong government capable of meeting the aspirations of the people, enhancing stability, and protecting the democratic process.”

Al-Maliki praised the “positive atmosphere prevailing in the dialogues between the political forces,” stressing the need to “adopt genuine partnership and realistic programs as the basis for government work in the next phase.”

In addition, the National Approach and National Union delegations, according to the statement, affirmed their commitment to “continuing communication and understanding in order to reach a common vision that serves the supreme national interest.”

Shafaq.com

Nechirvan Barzani discusses trade between Washington and Erbil with a US delegation

The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, discussed trade relations between Washington and Erbil with a delegation from the US Business Council.

According to a statement received by Shafaq News Agency, the meeting included an explanation of the purpose of the delegation’s visit to the Kurdistan Region, and discussions were held regarding trade relations between the United States and the Kurdistan Region. In this context, the available opportunities for developing relations between the two sides were highlighted.

Nechirvan Barzani reiterated that the Kurdistan Region is looking to expand its trade and economic ties with the United States, stressing “the region’s readiness to provide all facilities to American investors and companies, enabling them to expand their commercial and economic activities in Kurdistan.”

The results of the Iraqi parliamentary elections were another focus of the meeting, according to the statement.

Shafaq.com

Electoral Commission: Preliminary results will not be significantly affected by the final announcement today.

The Independent High Electoral Commission confirmed on Monday that the preliminary results will not be greatly affected by the announcement of the final results today. The head of the commission’s media support unit, Imad Jamil, told the official agency that “the Independent High Electoral Commission announced the preliminary results for 99.07% of the polling stations, and only 111 stations remain, for which the counting and sorting have been completed and the results have been finalized.”

He added that “announcing the final results does not significantly affect the preliminary results, and the results will be announced today in full detail,” explaining that “the seats were distributed according to System No. 2 of 2025, as well as the quota seats and components.”

He also pointed out that “the commission, after announcing the final results, will grant a period of 3 days for appeals to be submitted by those affected,” noting that “there is a slight change within the bloc, such as the distribution of the women’s quota and the distribution of seats.”

He also indicated that “the total number of complaints in the general and special voting amounted to 102 complaints, and they did not rise to the level of being red complaints, but were distributed between green and yellow complaints that do not affect the election results or lead to the opening of some stations.”

Burathanews.com

The International Monetary Fund expects stable and accelerating growth in the Iraqi economy until 2030.

The Iraqi economy is poised for a more stable growth trajectory in the coming years, following a slight contraction of 0.2% in 2024, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.

According to the “Al-Sharq” website, the fund predicted that the country’s economy would return to growth in 2025 at a rate of 0.5%.

The IMF estimates show a marked acceleration in the pace of growth starting from 2026 to 3.6%, the same rate expected for 2027, before rising to 3.9% in 2028, and then 4.1% for both 2029 and 2030.

The International Monetary Fund predicted last October that Iraq would rank fourth among the largest economies in the Arab world by 2030.

According to the report, Saudi Arabia tops the list as the largest Arab economy with a GDP of $1.6 trillion, followed by the United Arab Emirates in second place with about $764.8 billion, and then Egypt in third place with $589.8 billion.

Iraq comes in fourth place, with an expected GDP of $345.9 billion, continuing its advanced position among Arab economies supported by the energy and oil sector and reconstruction and development projects, ahead of Algeria, which came in fifth with a total of $309 billion, followed by Qatar in sixth place with $296.8 billion, Morocco in seventh place with $241.9 billion, and then Kuwait in eighth place with $190.1 billion.

The last places on the list were occupied by the Sultanate of Oman with a total of $133.3 billion, followed by Jordan in tenth place with $73.6 billion.

The report indicated that Arab economies are experiencing varying paths of growth, driven by economic reforms, expanding investments in renewable energy, tourism, and technology, along with efforts to diversify away from dependence on oil as a primary source of revenue.

Shafaq.com

Preliminary “unofficial” results of the parliamentary elections in Baghdad, Babylon, and Maysan

An informed source revealed on Wednesday preliminary “unofficial” results for the parliamentary elections in the governorates of Baghdad and Babylon, within the general vote that took place on Tuesday, indicating that the results do not include the special vote and are subject to change after it is added.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that “the initial results in Baghdad Governorate showed that the Reconstruction and Development Coalition obtained more than 250,000 votes, winning 15 seats, while the State of Law Coalition obtained more than 200,000 votes, winning 10 seats, and the Sadiqun bloc obtained more than 100,000 votes, winning 5 seats.”

He added that “the State Forces Alliance obtained more than 80,000 votes and 4 seats, and the Foundation Alliance obtained more than 70,000 votes and 4 seats, while the Rights Bloc obtained more than 50,000 votes and 2 seats, and the Badr Bloc obtained more than 50,000 votes and 2 seats as well.”

Regarding the Sunni blocs, the source indicated that “the Progress Party obtained more than 150,000 votes and 8 seats, while the Azm Party obtained more than 70,000 votes and 3 seats, and the Sovereignty Party obtained more than 70,000 votes and 3 seats.”

He explained that “other blocs such as Al-Hasm, Ishraqat Kanoun and Al-Khidmat received between 20,000 and 35,000 votes, which gave each of them one or two seats.”

Regarding Babil Governorate, the source explained that “the initial results included only the general vote, as the number of voters reached about 408,000 votes, distributed among the electoral lists as follows: the Reconstruction and Development Coalition more than 75,000 votes (3 seats), the Sadiqun Bloc more than 70,000 votes (3 seats), the State of Law Coalition and Ishraqat Kanun more than 50,000 votes (two seats each), while the State Forces and Services Alliance and Badr obtained more than 50,000 votes each, which qualifies them to obtain one parliamentary seat for each alliance.”

In Maysan Governorate, according to the same source, the results showed that the Reconstruction and Development Coalition topped the lists with 60,000 votes, followed by the Badr Bloc with 32,000 votes, while the State of Law Coalition and the Sadiqun Bloc each received 29,000 votes.

The State Forces Alliance received 27,000 votes, the Rights Movement received 11,000 votes, while independent MP Raed Al-Maliki received about 9,800 votes.

The source concluded by saying that “these results are preliminary and subject to change, as the number of votes and seats will change after the special voting results are added to the final totals.”

The number of seats allocated to Maysan Governorate is 10 seats, and they will be distributed among the lists according to the Sainte-Laguë 1.7 system after calculating the final results, including the special voting votes, which may cause changes in the final seat ranking.

The preliminary results are scheduled to be officially announced by the Independent High Electoral Commission 24 hours after the closing of the ballot boxes.

Shafaq.com

Iraq exports more than 2 million tons of oil derivatives in 3 months

Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) announced on Wednesday that Iraq exported more than 2 million tons of oil derivatives during the third quarter of 2025.

The company said in a statistic seen by Shafaq News Agency that Iraq exported 2 million, 330 thousand, 838 tons of oil derivatives in the period from July to September 2025, recording a decrease of 20.5 percent compared to the same period in 2024, in which exports amounted to 2 million, 931 thousand, 419 tons.

SOMO added that fuel oil exports amounted to 2,117,737 tons during the third quarter, while naphtha topped the list with 201,964 tons, in addition to the export of jet fuel with a quantity of 11,137 tons.

The company explained that naphtha is an intermediate material used in the petrochemical industry, such as in the manufacture of ethylene or the production of aromatics, or to produce benzene through reforming or isomers within the refinery.

Shafaq.com

Kurdistan Democratic Party: The party came in first place in the Iraqi elections.

Ali Hussein, an official in the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s organizational office in Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, and Raparin, confirmed on Wednesday that the Kurdistan Democratic Party topped the results of the Iraqi parliamentary elections and obtained first place in the number of votes.

Hussein said during a press conference attended by Shafaq News Agency that “the Kurdistan Democratic Party is the first party in Iraq and has obtained the first rank in the number of votes,” explaining that “the party’s votes in Sulaymaniyah Governorate increased by about 20,000 votes compared to the previous elections.”

He added that “the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan did not move towards forming the government because it was convinced that it would get more votes in the Iraqi parliamentary elections,” noting that “the differences between the two parties date back to 1964, and we gained nothing from that civil war but mutual harm.”

Hussein also pointed out that “joint work between the representatives of the Kurdistan Region in Baghdad and the region serves the interest of everyone,” stressing that “the people of Sulaymaniyah do not hate the Kurdistan Democratic Party, but rather expect a lot from it, and I believe that the door to cooperation and openness in this region is now close.”

He concluded by saying: “As a Kurdistan Democratic Party, we want to work with all parties in Baghdad, but some parties do not want to do that. Nevertheless, we will remain committed to the principle of partnership and joint action to serve the Kurdistan Region and Iraq in general.”

The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, announced on Tuesday evening that the Democratic Party had surpassed the one million vote mark as a preliminary result in the general election, while the President of the Region, Nechirvan Barzani, congratulated them on this victory.

The cities of the Kurdistan Region participated in the general voting process that took place in the 2025 Iraqi parliamentary elections, amid a relatively high participation rate by the citizens of the region’s cities.

Shafaq.com

Deposit growth slowed and credit volume increased in Iraq in September.

The Central Bank of Iraq announced on Wednesday that it had recorded a decline in the growth of deposits at banks operating in Iraq for the month of September, while the growth of credit increased.

An official statistic, seen by Shafaq News Agency, showed that total deposits amounted to 113.928 trillion dinars, registering a decrease of 1.82% compared to August, in which deposits amounted to 115.997 trillion dinars.

Central government deposits amounted to 35.398 trillion dinars, public institutions deposits to 25.531 trillion dinars, while private sector deposits reached 52.999 trillion dinars.

In contrast, credit volume growth increased by 0.57% to reach 73.942 trillion dinars in September, compared to 73.521 trillion dinars in August.

Credit extended to the central government amounted to 26.392 trillion dinars, to public institutions 2.431 trillion dinars, while credit extended to the private sector reached 45.119 trillion dinars.

These data show that Iraqi banks continue to support credit, despite the decline in the growth of deposits, in light of the current economic conditions.

Shafaq.com

A source clarifies: There will be no change to the exchange rate, and the Central Bank continues to defend it.

A source clarifies – There will be no change to the exchange rate and the Central Bank continues to defend itSome media outlets reported on a study suggesting a government plan to adjust the exchange rate in the future. However, it turned out that this plan, which was published in studies, did not originate from the central bank and dates back more than ten years.

In this context, a source from the Central Bank confirmed on Tuesday (November 11, 2025) that foreign reserves remain at comfortable levels sufficient to cover imports and enhance the stability of the financial market.

The source explained that “the Central Bank continues to defend the current rate, and that the monetary and financial indicators in the country are stable and support this trend.”

This denial comes after unofficial reports circulated on digital platforms claiming that there was a government intention to adjust the exchange rate in the future.

Burathanews.com

The Central Bank denies rumors of a dinar devaluation.

The Central Bank denied on Tuesday (November 11, 2025) rumors of the dinar’s decline, stressing that they were untrue and were not issued by any official body.

The bank’s media office stated in a statement that “the Central Bank of Iraq denied the news circulating about the expected decrease in the value of the dinar to 4,000 dinars against the dollar, stressing that this information is incorrect and was not issued by any official body within the bank.”

The bank called on the media and citizens to rely only on official sources and to avoid being drawn into rumors aimed at creating financial panic in the market.

Burathanews.com