Iraqi PM orders major cut in guards for officials in reform plan

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday issued instructions of his crucial reform plan, included cutting of up to 90 percent, of the number of guards for Iraqi top and senior officials, according to a statement from the office of prime minister.

In the statement, Abadi said that he ordered "major cut in the number of personal guards for officials and the presidencies (state president, ministerial president and parliament speaker), that may reach to up to 90 percent."

The measure also included "abolishing the special protection regiments which belong to the officials and send them to the ministries of defense and interior."

The statement said that such reduction would see that more than 20,000 guards who were paid over 250 billion Iraqi Dinars (about 208 U.S. dollars) per year.

Abadi also ordered to form a supreme committee tasked with "cancelling disparities in salaries through reforming the salaries and allowances system, as well as abolishing exceptional allowances."

The statement put one month deadline for the committee to present a new salaries and allowances system.

The committee is also tasked with cutting the pensions of the former officials and to present a new system within one week.

Abadi's orders also included forming a supreme committee that would select nominees for senior government posts.

The instructions put August 31 as a deadline for the implementation of previous decision that abolished the posts of advisors in the ministries and to limit the number of advisors to five to each of the tree presidencies, the statement said.

On Aug. 9, Abadi declared his reform plan that included the call to cancel the three vice presidential posts and the three deputy prime minister posts, as well as reduction of ministries and agencies in order to increase efficiency in the performance of the government and reduce expenditures. His plan was then approved by the cabinet and the country's parliament.

About a week later, Abadi, cut 11 of his 33 cabinet posts, including three deputy premier, four ministerial posts and merging four more ministries with four others.

Abadi's reform plan was emboldened by angry demonstrations in Baghdad and several cities in the south to protest against slack public services, power shortage, and massive corruption, as well as the full support from the Marjiyah (Shiite religious leadership), represented by Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.