RRT ERBIL: PROVINCIAL POWERS COME TO THE KURDISTAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 001969 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV IZ SUBJECT: RRT ERBIL: PROVINCIAL POWERS COME TO THE KURDISTAN REGION REF: 08 BAGHDAD 4078 This is an Erbil Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) cable. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On April 20, 2009 the Iraqi-Kurdistan Parliament (IKP) passed a Provincial Powers Law (PPL) which defines the authority of the Provincial Councils (PCs) of the Kurdistan Region (KR) but provides for less decentralization than its counterpart Government of Iraq (GOI) PPL law. The public in the KR is generally unaware of the role of the PCs there, largely because KR PCs have had no formal legislative or budget authority since they were created in 2005. No date has been set for KR provincial elections, but contacts speculate that they should occur in late 2009/early 2010. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) Following more than a year of debate over how decentralization should be applied in the KR, the IKP finally passed its version of a provincial powers law on April 20. The law came into effect with one change requested by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President and agreed to by the IKP ) seats set aside for minority groups on each provincial council. No date has been set for provincial elections, but since the mandate of the current PCs expires on January 31, 2010, contacts speculate that PC elections will occur in late 2009/early 2010. ¶3. (U) Similar to the GoI's PPL, the KRG PPL provides for the creation and election of a governor, PCs, district and sub-district councils. Each PC will elect a governor and a chairman and will be responsible for shaping general provincial policy in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government's line ministries. Each provincial governor will have the authority to program a "governorate budget," but the law is vague on a number of details regarding budget execution. For example, the specific authority that governors and PCs will have with regard to the infrastructure projects funded from the regional government is ambiguous. ¶4. (U) There are also significant differences from the GOI PPL. KR PC members swear allegiance to Iraqi Kurdistan, rather than to the federal Iraqi state/GOI. According to the KR PPL, the PCs' rules and decisions cannot conflict with the KR Constitution, whereas the federal/GOI PPL states that PC legislation cannot conflict with the federal Iraqi Constitution. (NOTE: Although not expressly stated in the KRG PPL, we understand PC decisions would be null and void if they conflict with one of the exclusive powers of the federal government or the basic rights guaranteed by the Iraqi Constitution. END NOTE). Another difference is that the KR PPL uses language saying that KR PCs can issue "decisions" or "regulations." In the GOI PPL, PCs have the authority to issue "legislation." (NOTE: The difference between "decisions," "regulations," and "legislation," as found in the KR PPL, is unclear. END NOTE). In both cases, however, this power is limited to matters concerning administrative and financial affairs of the provinces. In addition to being accountable to the PCs, the provincial governors are administratively under the jurisdiction of the KRG Ministry of the Interior, while the federal PPL law establishes "a Higher Board for administering the governorates," which is headed by the Prime Minister. ¶5. (U) There are other differences. While the GOI PPL grants governors supervisory responsibility over provincial security forces (except the Iraqi Army),the KRG PPL does not expressly empower the governor to oversee any security forces (civilian or Peshmerga) other than to "investigate crimes." The KRG PPL permits each province to keep and spend only the revenue that it earns from KRG-owned moveable assets and Qrevenue that it earns from KRG-owned moveable assets and services provided by the provincial government, such as sale or lease of KRG-owned property. The GOI PPL permits governorates to keep the proceeds of the sale of both moveable and immoveable assets. The federal PPL also permits governorates to impose fees and fines, and to keep money from investment projects. The KRG PPL requires a minimum of 30% female membership in the provincial, district and sub-district councils, while the GOI version has no such stipulation. Also stipulated in the KRG version is a minority quota for each of the provincial councils, proportionate to the population of a given group within a given province. Finally, the GOI PPL authorizes the governors of provinces to establish universities in coordination with the GOI Ministry of Higher Education. The KRG PPL does not authorize this. REACTIONS VARY BY PROVINCE -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Soran Faizy, Chairman of the Erbil PC, says that the relatively limited decentralization in the new PPL is BAGHDAD 00001969 002 OF 003 justified because it is of utmost importance for the KRG to remain strong so that it can present a united front to the rest of Iraq. Dr. Fadel Omer, Chairman of the Dohuk Provincial Council, also believes that, "For Kurdistan, at this time, this law is not bad." Omer points out that the law grants the Governor and PC some budget execution authority and the authority to appoint some provincial public sector employees. The PCs will also be free to make some administrative decisions that previously had to be routed through the KRG. Omer believes that these changes, plus features that allow the provinces to retain and spend their own internal revenues, will facilitate significant improvements in provincial public administration and service delivery. ¶7. (SBU) But Dr. Omer also cautions that the new law will not be a panacea to all of the woes of the KRG's extremely centralized form of public administration. Each line ministry in Erbil will still have a budget to program for infrastructure projects and other expenses as the ministry deems appropriate. (COMMENT: That portion of the budget controlled by the KRG Council of Ministers (COM) constitutes the lion's share of the 17% of the national budget that comes to the KR. END COMMENT). But Omer believes that the new law will provide a stronger foundation for the PCs to petition the COM for a more equitable distribution of resources. (COMMENT: Dohuk residents frequently say that Dohuk receives Erbil's leftovers. Their concern is rooted in the fact that the KR budget is split along political party lines, with 48% going to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and 52% going to the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP). While the PUK portion goes exclusively to Sulaimaniyah Province, the KDP portion is shared between Erbil and Dohuk Provinces. Because the KDP politburo sits in Erbil, many contend that Erbil dominates the shared portion of the budget. END COMMENT). ¶8. (SBU) The tone in Sulaimaniyah Province is quite different. Kawa Abdullah, Chairman of the Sulaimaniyah PC, believes that the KR PPL indicates the KRG's blatant attempt to "adopt a Ba'athist model" of public administration. Said Abdullah, "In the beginning, (the KRG) said that we wanted to export democracy to the rest of Iraq. But it seems that we have given it all away and kept none for ourselves." Sulaimaniyah Governor Dana Majed concurs, believing that this law effectively reduces the PCs to monitoring bodies. Both Abdullah and Majed are angry that the proposed KR Constitution does not mention or authorize the existence of PCs. Majed believes that the omission is a direct attempt to override the authority of the PCs and make their existence dependent on the pleasure of the KRG president. In a letter to KRG President Masu'd Barzani written in early June, 32 of 35 members of the Sulaimaniyah PC offered a point-by-point protest of the differences between the KRG PPL and GOI PPL. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL? WHAT PROVINCIAL COUNCIL? -------------- ¶9. (U) During a recently-televised talk show on a local channel in Dohuk, callers were asked to identify the members of their PC (of which there are 41.) Callers could only identify five. While anecdotal, this example illustrates just how little some in the KR know about the existence and/or the proper role of the PCs. Contacts in Erbil and Dohuk say that this is largely because the PCs have appeared inactive since their election. As in the rest of Iraq, the KR has had PCs since 2005 (created by CPA Order 71). But until the passage of the KRG PPL, those PCs had no authority Quntil the passage of the KRG PPL, those PCs had no authority under KRG law, and they were not covered by the GOI PPL passed in late 2008. The work of the three PCs has essentially depended on the personalities of their provincial governors. For Erbil and Dohuk, that has resulted in the PCs having consultative relationships with their governors, but doing very little in their own names. Erbil PC Chairman Faizy says that the governor is the person who is seen implementing these suggestions, and as such, is the person who receives the credit. Said Faizy, "When we ran for election in 2005, we had an agenda and people voted for us based on what they thought we would do. But because we had no authority to implement this agenda, the people lost faith in the PC." ¶10. (SBU) The activities of the Sulaimaniyah PC seem more visible to the public. Sulaimaniyah PC Chairman Abdullah says that the PC takes great efforts to be transparent in their budget execution activities, and to allocate resources on the basis of population and need. The PC works hand-in-hand with Sulaimaniyah Governor Majed to implement governorate budget-funded infrastructure projects and deliver services and shares the credit with him for provincial development and resource distribution. BAGHDAD 00001969 003 OF 003 ¶11. (SBU) COMMENT: Decentralization in the form of the KRG PPL has come late to the Kurdistan Region. As anticipated (reftel),the strong influence of the KRG Executive Branch in the drafting and related debate of the PPL has resulted in the continuation of a more centralized administration than in the provinces covered by the GOI Provincial Powers Law. END COMMENT. FORD