Graduates demand jobs outside Baghdad's Finance Ministry

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Graduates from several Iraqi provinces demonstrated outside the Finance Ministry in Baghdad for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, demanding government appointments and a provision in the 2027 federal budget for the hiring of graduates who completed their degrees years ago.

One protester told Shafaq News that security forces had used force and batons to break up the gathering and push demonstrators back from the ministry, calling for an end to what he described as "violence against protesters."

He said the demonstrators had traveled from across the country to press for the appointment of graduates who finished their studies years earlier, a group he estimated at more than 100,000 people across various fields. A computer engineering graduate since 2014, he said he was still seeking a government post.

Several graduates wore burial shrouds during the demonstration, a symbolic gesture underscoring their demand for appointment under the 2027 budget.

A security source told Shafaq News that forces had not used live ammunition to disperse the crowd but had fired tear gas and rubber bullets.

On Monday afternoon, security forces closed the road leading to the Mohammed al-Qasim Expressway, a main Baghdad thoroughfare, after the protest turned into scuffles between demonstrators and riot police. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi instructed the Finance Ministry to allocate permanent or contract positions for the long-waiting graduates within the draft federal budget law, in line with the actual staffing needs of ministries and public bodies.

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