Sulaymaniyah Mayor: Government Failed to Provide Promised Budget for Sulaymaniyah Projects

A view of a location in Sulaymaniyah. Photo: Channel8 / Hama Sur
A view of a location in Sulaymaniyah. Photo: Channel8 / Hama Sur

The Mayor of Sulaymaniyah, Leyla Omar, told Channel8 that no projects have been carried out using the special budget allocated by the Council of Ministers for Sulaymaniyah Province, despite multiple written assurances.

They have written more than three times that the special budget for projects allocated to Erbil and Duhok can also be applied to Sulaymaniyah

Leyla Omar said. “But it has been promised and not implemented.”

Local Revenue Powers Municipal Projects

The mayor explained that the Sulaymaniyah Municipality’s projects are funded through four main revenue sources:

  1. Property rentals: accounting for around 15% of total revenue, which the municipality has used to execute several ongoing projects.
  2. Operating budget: worth 103 billion dinars, derived from local revenues and allocated to public services including parks, boulevards, and waste management.
  3. Land sales at public auction: proceeds from municipal land sales are directed toward road paving, concrete works, sewage systems, and green spaces.
  4. Provincial development budget: approximately 21 billion dinars, sourced from domestic revenue and dedicated to key infrastructure projects.

100-Meter Road Project Resumes with Local Funding

Discussing one of Sulaymaniyah’s largest infrastructure initiatives, Omar said the 100-meter road project is being implemented entirely through local revenue.

The cost of the road will be covered from Sulaymaniyah’s own income

she stated, adding that the project had been resumed at the request of Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and funded through land sales generating 25 billion dinars.