The Iraqi Communist Party on
Tuesday expressed objection to a proposal to turn Basra governorate into a
federal region.
Opponents of making Basra part of the federal system fear that some might later call for independence, as was the case in the Kurdistan region.
The Party Secretary Raed Fahmi said in a meeting that such step is unsuitable for the current stage, considering it a project "to create political chaos with the aim of dividing the country in the future."
Article
119 of the Iraqi Constitution stipulates that every province has the right to
become a federal region either alone or together with other provinces, after
following required procedures. A province can request being designated a
federal entity after the approval of one-third of members of the governorate
council and one-tenth of the area’s electorate.