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Mohammed Shia Al-SudaniPrime Minister of Iraq from October 28, 2022
Date of Birth: 01.01.1970
Country:  Iraq |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Participation in Uprisings and Government Appointments
- Political Career
- Ministerial Roles
- Stance on ISIS and Human Rights
- Other Positions
- Acting Head of the Institute for Political Prisoners (2014)
- Founding of the Euphrates Party
- Prime Minister of Iraq (2022-Present)
- Criticism
Early Life and Education
Muhammad Shia al-Sudani was born in 1970. In 1980, when he was 10 years old, his father and five other family members were killed by Saddam Hussein's agents due to their affiliation with the Dawa Party.
Sudani earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural science from Baghdad University in 1992 and a master's degree in project management in 1997.
Participation in Uprisings and Government Appointments
Sudani participated in the 1991 uprisings that followed the end of the Gulf War. In 1997, he was appointed to the Maysan Agriculture Directorate, where he held various positions.
Political Career
Following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Sudani became involved in politics. He served as coordinator between the Maysan provincial administration and the Coalition Provisional Authority. In 2004, he became mayor of Amara and was elected to the Maysan Provincial Council in 2005. He was re-elected in 2009 and subsequently served as governor of Maysan Province until 2010.
Ministerial Roles
After the 2010 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appointed Sudani as Minister of Human Rights. His nomination was approved by parliament on December 21, 2010. In 2011, he briefly served as the head of the Commission of Justice and Accountability for Debaathification.
Stance on ISIS and Human Rights
In August 2014, ISIS militants killed thousands of Yazidis in northern Iraq. Sudani condemned the atrocities as "heinous crimes" and called on "the international community to take a firm stand against the Islamic State" and "to wage war on it in order to stop the genocide and the barbaric crimes against civilians." He requested that the Human Rights Council launch an investigation into the crimes against humanity committed by ISIS, labeling them as genocide.
Other Positions
Sudani has held several other positions, including:Acting Head of the High Commission for Accountability and Justice (2011)
Acting Head of the Institute for Political Prisoners (2014)
Minister of Labor and Social Affairs (2014-2019)Minister of Industry and Trade
Chairman of the board of directors of the Arab Labor Organization (2017-2018)
Founding of the Euphrates Party
In 2019, Sudani left al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition and became an independent Shiite politician. He was a member of the Dawa Party until 2020. Some critics have suggested that his departure was an attempt to distance himself from past governments and further his career. In 2021, he founded his own political party, the Euphrates Party. The party won three of the 329 seats in the Council of Representatives and formed part of the Coordination Framework, a group of Iran-aligned Shiite parties.
Prime Minister of Iraq (2022-Present)
On July 25, 2022, in an effort to end Iraq's political crisis, pro-Iranian Shiite groups in the Coordination Framework decided to nominate Sudani as the next prime minister of Iraq. He was eventually endorsed as the faction's candidate to replace incumbent Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and form a new government.
Following his election, President-elect Abdul Latif Rashid appointed Sudani as the new prime minister and tasked him with forming a government within 30 days and presenting it for parliamentary approval. On October 15, 2022, Sudani was formally sworn into office and began his duties. The Prime Minister has pledged to reform the economy, combat corruption, improve deteriorating public services, and address poverty and unemployment. He has also promised to amend the electoral law within three months and hold early parliamentary elections within a year. Sudani succeeded in forming a government that was approved by the Council of Representatives on October 27.
Criticism
Sudani's affiliation with the pro-Iranian Shiite groups in the Coordination Framework has drawn criticism from supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Coalition's attempt to nominate Sudani for premiership in July 2020 led to the occupation of Iraq's parliament in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone by al-Sadr's supporters, resulting in days of clashes that left dozens dead. Protesters gathered outside the main gate of the Green Zone to oppose Sudani and clashed with security forces. Al-Sadr and his supporters have vehemently rejected Sudani's premiership, viewing him as a proxy for Nouri al-Maliki, their long-time nemesis whom they accuse of corruption and mismanagement.
Despite the criticism, Sudani is seen by the Coordination Framework as "one of the experienced figures for the prime ministry" and is described as "honest, without corruption issues or mixing of relationships, work, political positions, parties, and benefits, and he is also a strong and decisive figure." The Russian newspaper Kommersant notes that the politician has "a good reputation, including that he, unlike many Iraqi politicians, is not involved in corruption scandals. However, for the Sadrists, Mr. al-Sudani looks primarily like a protégé of Nouri al-Maliki. They fear that the former prime minister is hiding behind the figure of al-Sudani in order to return to power."
