May 7. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Iraq’s Ministry of Planning considers it almost impossible to meet the deadlines to hold the expected national population census at the end of the year, since it has just informed the Government that it needs at least 15 months to complete the procedures.
Iraqi official media, cited by the Kurdish agency Rudaw, collect a statement from the Ministry of Planning in which it details its requirements: eight months of preparation and another seven to finalize its execution.
In other words, Iraq could not hold what would be its first census in 26 years until October 2024, although the budget for it has already been allocated.
This delay is a bit of a setback for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed al Sudani, who wants to see the first full census since 1987 completed as soon as possible and correct the current partial census that took place in 1997, one that ignored the composition of provinces. kurdish
This census is intended to settle deep-seated historical disputes in Iraq, such as the status of Kirkuk, which is claimed by both Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurdistan government, or the federal allocation to the latter semi-autonomous region.