Iraqi MPs push to make Al-Zubair a new province

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, around 80 members of Iraq’s Parliament signed a request to establish Al-Zubair district as a new province, similar to the ongoing efforts to designate Halabja.

78 lawmakers submitted the request to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, citing Al-Zubair’s compliance with all administrative requirements. They highlighted the district’s population exceeding 1.4 million, its oil and agricultural resources, border crossings, ports, industrial companies, vast geographical area, and strategic location.

This is not the first attempt to designate Al-Zubair as a province. In 2014, then-district commissioner Abbas Rasham stated that a request had been submitted as early as 2006, but the federal government had not responded.

The parliament was supposed to vote on Halabja Provincial Law in yesterday’s session. However, the vote was delayed until Wednesday due to a lack of quorum.