Basra Provincial Council member, Ali Adnan Al-Abadi, confirmed that the Provincial Council has lost its powers, and is unable even to host a “school guard” or “taxi driver,” in reference to the fragility of the council’s oversight and legislative role.

Al-Abadi said in statements followed by Al-Raya that the Basra Provincial Council has turned into a “superfluous circle” that does not provide any significant benefit, but rather consumes public funds without any real return. He called for dissolving the council and transferring its budget to more beneficial sectors, such as treating kidney and cancer patients.

Al-Abadi indicated that the House of Representatives bears responsibility for what is happening in Basra, indicating that it has not provided anything significant to the governorate, neither at the level of projects nor service legislation.