Year after Iraq Vote, UN Urges Dialogue to End Gridlock

Sweets, candy, and dried fruits are displayed outside a shop at the Shorja market in the center of Iraq's capital Baghdad on October 7, 2022. (AFP)
Sweets, candy, and dried fruits are displayed outside a shop at the Shorja market in the center of Iraq's capital Baghdad on October 7, 2022. (AFP)
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Year after Iraq Vote, UN Urges Dialogue to End Gridlock

Sweets, candy, and dried fruits are displayed outside a shop at the Shorja market in the center of Iraq's capital Baghdad on October 7, 2022. (AFP)
Sweets, candy, and dried fruits are displayed outside a shop at the Shorja market in the center of Iraq's capital Baghdad on October 7, 2022. (AFP)

A year after Iraq's last general election, the United Nations mission urged political factions to end the deadlock paralyzing the oil-rich country, warning that "Iraq is running out of time."

"The protracted crisis is breeding further instability ... it threatens people's livelihoods," the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq said, urging "dialogue without preconditions" toward a stable government in the war-scarred nation.

Iraqis last voted on October 10, 2021 in an election triggered by an earlier wave of mass protests against endemic corruption, rampant unemployment and decaying infrastructure.

One year on, the country has yet to form a new government, leaving caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in charge but unable to have parliament pass a new state budget.

The UN said that the vote a year ago "was a hard-earned election, brought about by public pressure from nationwide protests in which several hundreds of young Iraqis lost their lives and thousands were injured."

"Regretfully, this reaffirmation of democracy was followed by divisive politics, generating bitter public disillusion," it added in a statement.

Rival Shiite factions in parliament have been vying for influence and the right to select a new prime minister and government.

The standoff that has seen both sides set up protest camps and at times sparked deadly street clashes.

"All actors must engage in dialogue without preconditions," the UN mission said.

"Through compromise, they must collectively agree on key outcomes... to service the needs of the Iraqi people and establish a fully empowered and effective government. The time to act is now."

'Willingness to compromise'

The political impasse pits powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr, who has demanded snap elections, against the Iran-backed Coordination Framework, which has been pushing to appoint a new head of government before any new polls are held.

Tensions last boiled over on August 29 when more than 30 Sadr supporters were killed in clashes with Iran-backed factions and the army in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, the capital's government and diplomatic district.

The Coordination Framework welcomed the UN statement, saying it was ready "for dialogue with all political actors" to "form a government with full powers".

The French embassy in Iraq has also backed the UN mission's call, urging "all parties" to engage in "true dialogue without preconditions and with sincere willingness to compromise".

Iraq has raked in huge revenues from energy exports this year, and the central bank is holding a colossal $87 billion in foreign exchange reserves.

However, the money remains locked up because Kadhimi is not authorized to submit an annual state budget to parliament in his capacity as caretaker.

The UN mission said it is "imperative" that a budget is adopted before the end of the year.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.