Yesterday, the head of the Iraqi Parliament, the Bayraq Al-Khair bloc, MP Mohammed Al-Khaldi revealed that the Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi will announce the formation of his government officially next Sunday.
In the meantime, thousands of Iraqi women demonstrated yesterday in the streets of Baghdad, Basra and Nasiriyah to express support for the popular protests.
According to the Iraqi News Agency, MP Mohammed Al-Khalidi said, "The cabinet is ready, and will be announced next Sunday." He added that Allawi will inform the President of the Republic and the resigned Prime Minister of the government formation, and will ask Parliament to hold an "emergency session" to vote on it.
For its part, the Kurdistan Islamic Group bloc pledged its vote to Allawi's government on conditions, including the Kurds obtaining four ministerial portfolios in the new squad.
The head of the parliamentary bloc of the group, Salim Shushki, said, according to the Iraqi news agency, that during a meeting between the President of the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish parties, it was confirmed that the share of the Kurdish parties in the federal government was "four ministries." He pointed out that the meeting held by the president of the region with the Kurdish parties "was to form a unified Kurdish alliance in Baghdad to unify the Kurdish ranks."
He also stressed that "if the will of the Kurds is respected as a major component, the Kurdish blocs will vote on the ministerial cabinet, but in the event of the exclusion and marginalization of the Kurds, there will be a position and opinion of the Kurdish blocs." He added that «the Kurdish blocs do not have any specific requirement in exchange for voting on the ministerial cabinet other than the implementation of the real demands of the privileges and salaries of employees and constitutional benefits, as well as the dues of farmers.»
Independent government
On the other hand, Iraqi political sources reported that a meeting was held between the Prime Minister and the leaders of the Shiite political blocs.
According to the sources, the meeting discussed on Wednesday the names of the candidates for the new cabinet, which Allawi is supposed to present to parliament in two weeks.
But the same sources said that the meeting was a failure without agreeing on the names of the candidates.
Despite the demonstrators' adherence in Iraq to their refusal to assign the former Communications Minister to form the government, considering that it does not meet the demands of the Harak to form a government that is far from political parties or former officials, Allawi had pledged to form a government representing all spectra and rejected party candidates, as he pledged to fight corruption and provide Employment opportunities and the dissolution of economic commissions of political factions.
On the other hand, the head of the Salvation and Development Front, Osama al-Nujaifi, affirmed yesterday that the current stage in Iraq requires making concessions with the aim of crossing the exceptional situation and reaching the early elections, and that the demonstrators return victorious after achieving their just demands.
Al-Nujaifi called, during his meeting with the head of the National Wisdom Movement, Ammar Al-Hakim, to “implement laws and procedures that guarantee fair elections away from appeals and under the supervision of the United Nations, support the formation of a large gathering of deputies of liberated provinces to address quotas and work to support the formation of an independent government without the dictates of any party And support the moderate approach, which adheres to the highest national constants and the interest of the people in political and parliamentary work. ”
During the meeting, they discussed the political situation, developments in forming the new government, the tasks expected to be achieved, and the future of the popular movement.
On the other hand, thousands of Iraqi women demonstrated yesterday in the streets of Baghdad, Basra and Nasiriyah to express support for the protests taking place in the Iraqi capital and nine governorates for the fourth month in a row.
The women participating in the demonstrations carried the flags of Iraq and pictures of girls killed during the protest demonstrations and chanted slogans, as well as other slogans demanded to fulfill the demands of the demonstrators, rebuild the political process and form a government that paves the way for early elections.
The demonstrators confirmed their continued demonstration and presence inside the demonstration grounds, and to provide medical and service assistance to the demonstrators.
Videos spread on the communication sites showing the exit of dozens of women, including university students carrying Iraqi flags and banners with slogans reading, chanting for "liberation of Iraq", and another feminist march was launched in Babil Governorate in solidarity with the demonstrators in Baghdad.
The "Organizing Committee for the October Uprising" had called in a statement on Tuesday evening, to "a feminist demonstration that starts Thursday, to emphasize the active role of women, which has appeared in all national positions, and has had the imprint that every Iraqi has been proud of since the first day of the October Uprising."
The committee pointed out at the time that “this march is a loyalty to Iraq and the dead, especially Sara Talib, Hoda Khudair, Zahra al-Qarra Lucy and Jinan al-Shammani, who were assassinated by armed elements for their activity in the protest demonstrations witnessed in Iraq since the first of last October against the ruling political class.”
And Iraq has never witnessed peaceful women's demonstrations, as happened in the streets yesterday, where the crowds of demonstrators in Tahrir, Al-Haboubi, Al-Bahariya and other squares in the governorates crowded them.
"Atlantic": Iraq wants the NATO mission to continue
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Iraqi government wants to continue the activities of the NATO training mission, which consists of about 500 personnel, despite the Iraqi parliament’s vote on a resolution demanding the expulsion of foreign forces.
Stoltenberg said in Brussels that Baghdad "confirmed to us its desire to continue NATO activities in the field of training and capacity-building of the Iraqi armed forces." Brussels - d
ISIS plot targeting security forces and demonstrators
A senior Iraqi security official revealed that the intelligence and counterterrorism services managed to thwart a "ISIS" plot targeting security forces and demonstrators in Baghdad and the provinces to stir strife. Yesterday, the official Iraqi newspaper, Al-Sabah, quoted the head of the Al-Suqur Intelligence Cell, Abu Ali Al-Basri, that "the most dangerous terrorist operation planned by ISIS to carry out bombings targeting security forces and demonstrators in Baghdad and the provinces to stir up chaos, sedition and internal fighting, in order to claim more lives."
He added that "the person responsible for directing and carrying out the group responsible for terrorist operations against the security forces and the demonstrators, who is one of the most prominent gang leaders, has been arrested, and his full confessions will be presented after the investigation and investigation are completed and referred to the judiciary."
Al-Basri warned of "the presence of ISIS terrorist men who are adults in the Al-Hol prison camp in northern Syria who escaped during the fighting from the fighting areas in Syria." Baghdad - d
- Allawi will inform the President of the Republic and the resigned Prime Minister of the government formation, and he will ask Parliament to hold an "emergency session" to vote on it.