Sayyid Al-Hakeem: Unions Essential Decision-Making Partner, Upcoming Phase Demands Diversified Economy, Private Sector Support

His Eminence Sayyid Al-Hakeem, Head of the National State Powers' Alliance, affirmed at the Baghdad Forum for Professional and Union Elites and Competencies that the relationship between union forces and political decision-makers is of paramount importance, noting that unions represent a tangible authority within society. H.E. called on unions to organize their internal ranks, assert their roles, and establish their presence within government reality and institutions, on the condition that unions genuinely represent and encompass their constituencies.

H.E. Sayyid Al-Hakeem clarified that engagement with the private sector is an added distinction to the character of Prime Minister-designate Mr. Ali Al-Zaidi, stressing the importance of departing from routine and bureaucratic patterns and the necessity of supporting the private sector and transforming the government into one that sponsors and regulates the interests of citizens.

H.E. Sayyid Al-Hakeem explained that Iraq's political system is a parliamentary one expressed through political blocs, affirming that this system leads to complementarity and partnership while preventing the return of dictatorship. H.E. noted that the mutual apprehension among political powers produces a consensus candidate, which isn’t a new concept, and that it is logical for the Prime Minister to return to the blocs that nominated and granted him confidence on strategic decisions.

H.E. affirmed that the priorities of this phase are economic ones par excellence, noting that it is no longer rational to keep Iraq hostage to oil prices and export outlets. H.E. called for the immediate laying of pipelines to expand export capacity and secure revenues, and for advancing toward economic diversification and the activation of productive sectors including agriculture, industry, tourism, investment, and modern technology, expressing confidence in the Prime Minister-designate's ability to drive these sectors forward given his background as a private sector figure.

H.E. commended the achievements of Mr. Al-Sudani's government, calling for its efforts to be valued and acknowledged, and affirming the importance of Iraq maintaining a balance in its regional and international relations in accordance with the supreme national interest and the interconnection of interests with all parties, noting that external balance reinforces internal cohesion.

In conclusion, H.E. stressed the importance of establishing frameworks and parameters for foreign labor while taking into account Iraq's cultural specificity and the climate changes surrounding it. H.E. also affirmed the independence of unions and their complementarity with government performance, calling for members to be informed of their unions' mandates and for the private sector to be activated to absorb unemployment.