Basra official renews call for regional status, cites constitution

BASRA — Calls to establish a Basra region have resurfaced, with a governorate spokesperson saying the move is rooted in Iraq’s constitution and would aim to expand local administrative powers without challenging federal authority.

Moein al-Hassan, spokesperson for Basra Governorate, said the idea has been raised repeatedly in past years and that the constitution allows a governorate to form a region, either on its own or by joining with others.

“The idea has been raised more than two or three times,” al-Hassan said in an interview with Al-Oula TV, referring to past efforts by Basra’s provincial leadership.

He said that in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the Basra Provincial Council submitted a request that was approved by a two-thirds vote but was not accepted.

“In 2013, 2014, and 2015, the Basra Provincial Council submitted a request—approved by a two-thirds vote of the council—but the request was not accepted,” he said.

Al-Hassan said the issue has returned amid what he described as ongoing popular interest.

“The proposal did not succeed previously, but the call to establish the region still stands today, and there is popular desire for it,” he said. “The region we aspire to is neither separatist nor racial nor ethnic. Rather, we seek an administrative region with broad powers that would enable us to manage the governorate in accordance with a decentralized system.”

Moein Al-Hassan, spokesperson for the Basra Governorate, in an interview with Al-Oula TV:

The issue of the Basra Region has been raised more than two or three times. There is a constitutional basis that allows any governorate to unite with two or more governorates to form a region. In 2013, 2014, and 2015, the Basra Provincial Council submitted a request—approved by a two-thirds vote of the council—but the request was not accepted.

The proposal did not succeed previously, but the call to establish the region still stands today, and there is popular desire for it. The region we aspire to is neither separatist nor racial nor ethnic. Rather, we seek an administrative region with broad powers that would enable us to manage the governorate in accordance with a decentralized system.

In all federal systems, oil and federal revenues are centralized. The Iraqi economy is rent-based and dependent on oil, and oil management remains a federal responsibility. We would receive our share of oil revenues just as the Kurdistan Region does—either according to population ratios or through petrodollar exports.

It is not within our authority, as an administrative region, to act independently in controlling oil, nor do we control the army, the issuance of currency, or customs; these fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

The formation of a Basra Region does not conflict with Iraq’s national interest. The Kurdistan Region is different, as it was established before 2003, which granted it broad autonomous powers. Today, when we call for the establishment of the Basra Region in line with the Constitution, this means our region would not be separatist. Consequently, the central government would continue to exercise full control over resources—from oil to customs to official border crossings.

The matter is not simple; it requires approvals and procedures that some decision-makers may oppose. There are also concerns on the part of the federal government stemming from the experience of the Kurdistan Region—an experience that I personally consider successful for its people.

We support benefiting from the Kurdistan experience, particularly with regard to its positive aspects in service delivery.”