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Iraqi Court Suspends Zebari's Presidential Bid

Former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari. Reuters
Former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari. Reuters
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Iraqi Court Suspends Zebari's Presidential Bid

Former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari. Reuters
Former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari. Reuters

Iraq's federal court on Sunday suspended former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari's presidential bid while it looks into corruption allegations dating back to 2016, the state news agency reported, one day before parliament was due to elect a new president.

Zebari, a prominent Kurdish politician who served as Iraq's foreign minister for more than a decade, was finance minister when he was sacked by parliament in 2016 over alleged corruption. He denied the accusations.

Last week four parliamentarians filed a petition to the federal court demanding Zebari's exclusion from the presidential race, accusing him of financial and administrative corruption in 2016.

In its ruling, the court said it had "decided to temporarily suspend the procedures of electing (Zebari) for the position of President of the Republic until the case is resolved."

Zebari was not immediately available for comment, Reuters reported. He has previously said the allegations against him are politically motivated.

Two lawmakers said on condition of anonymity that Zebari's suspension could delay tomorrow's vote, which comes four months after a parliamentary election led to Moqtada al-Sadr's movement becoming the biggest bloc, with 73 seats in the fractious 329-seat house.

The country's new president will be tasked with asking the largest bloc in parliament to form a government.

Zebari, one of 25 candidates, had high chances of winning the election before the corruption allegations surfaced again.

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Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006

Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
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Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006

Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)

A comparison of the current human and material losses from the ongoing Hezbollah-Israel conflict with those from the July 2006 war shows that current losses have doubled.

Experts warn that the reconstruction funds and aid pledged to Lebanon 18 years ago may have limited impact once the war ends.

Total Losses

Mohammad Shamseddine, a researcher from Information International, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the death toll has risen from 900 in 2006 to 2,865 in the current conflict (as of October 31, 2024), with the number increasing daily. The number of wounded was 4,000 in 2006, but it has now exceeded 13,047.

In 2006, 600,000 people were displaced, while today that number has surpassed 1.2 million. Of these, 189,174 are in shelters. A total of 358,133 Syrians and 172,604 Lebanese have fled to Syria, and 120,000 have sought refuge in other countries.

Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister Amin Salam estimated that Lebanon’s total economic losses from the current conflict have reached $20 billion. However, economic associations report direct losses between $10 billion and $12 billion, covering damage to key sectors, homes, buildings, and infrastructure.

These figures align with estimates from Shamseddine, who believes direct and indirect losses are around $10 billion.

Of this, $4 billion occurred from October 8, 2023, to September 17, 2024 (when the conflict was mostly limited to the south), and $7 billion from September 17 to October 31, 2024, after Israel expanded the war. For comparison, losses during the 2006 war totaled $5.3 billion.

In 2006, infrastructure damage was valued at $900 million, higher than the current war's $570 million in infrastructure losses.

Housing losses in 2006 totaled $2.2 billion, while they have now surpassed $4.26 billion. Mohammad Shamseddine points out that commercial losses were similar in both conflicts, at $4.7 million.

Agricultural and environmental losses in 2006 were $450 million, but now exceed $900 million. Indirect economic damages were $1.2 billion in 2006, while they have now surpassed $3.38 billion.

One notable difference is the number of airstrikes: from October 8, 2023, to October 31, 2024, there were 11,647, compared to just 3,670 during the 33-day 2006 war.