MP Miqdad al-Khafaji criticized the Iraqi government and the Central Bank on Thursday, accusing them of failing to keep their promises to protect citizens from the effects of the exchange rate changes. He said the authorities had also failed to reduce the gap between the official dollar rate and the parallel market rate.
Speaking to dinaropinions.com, al-Khafaji said the dollar price in the parallel market has started rising again, directly affecting ordinary citizens. He explained that the increase is making basic goods and food more expensive, putting additional pressure on household incomes.
He also pointed to the growing gap between the official exchange rate and the price of the dollar in the parallel market. Addressing government officials and the Central Bank, he called on them to stop making promises without taking real action and warned against putting further pressure on the daily lives of Iraqi citizens.
The government and the Central Bank had previously adjusted the exchange rate to 150,000 dinars for every $100. However, the dollar has reached 170,000 dinars for every $100 in the parallel market, showing a significant difference between the two rates.