Iraqi President Barham Saleh today asked Parliament to specify the largest parliamentary bloc whose candidate will be assigned to form a government, adding that he received a request from the Construction Alliance to nominate the Minister of Higher Education in the caretaker government Qusay al-Suhail to form the new government, and the constitutional deadline for the appointment of a new prime minister to succeed the resigned Adel Abd The Mahdi.
In order to resolve the political dispute regarding the largest bloc in Parliament, the Federal Court issued a decision today in response to the request of the Presidency of the Republic, stating that the largest bloc is made up of one or two lists or more when the first session of Parliament is held, and the building coalition says - consisting of close Shiite forces From Iran - It is the largest bloc in Parliament, with 150 seats out of 329, which is the total number of Parliament members.
The construction alliance consists of a number of forces; most notably the Al-Fateh coalition (47 seats) and the "State of Law" coalition led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (26 seats).
The President of the Republic, Dr. Barham Salih |
Saeron Alliance
On the other hand, the "Saeron" coalition - supported by the Shiite leader Muqtada Al-Sadr - sent a message to the Presidency earlier this month saying that it is the largest bloc, and it is concerned with submitting a candidate to form the government.
Al-Jazeera correspondent in Baghdad, Walid Ibrahim, explained that the situation has become more complicated in the past few hours. The response of the Federal Court has brought the dispute over the largest bloc back to its starting point.
The reporter added that Parliament did not specify what the largest bloc was in more than a year when its first session was held after the legislative elections, due to the deep differences between the parliamentary blocs, which were overlooked by moving to the next step, through the fact that the blocs agreed on one candidate to form the government, and it was At that time, he was Adel Abdul-Mahdi.
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It is expected that the Iraqi Council of Representatives will hold a session tomorrow, Monday, that will be decisive in response to President Saleh's book on the largest bloc.
Third request
On the other hand, 174 members of Parliament submitted an application to President Saleh on December 16th, in which they specified the conditions that must be met in the candidate to form a government, namely that he be independent of those who did not assume the position of minister or deputy, or who are not dual nationals.
President Saleh had previously called on Parliament to identify the largest bloc, so the answer of the legislative institution was that it was the bloc that agreed to assign Adel Abdul Mahdi to form the government on October 2, 2018, and that it comprises 16 political entities, but its positions are currently different to the candidate for prime minister.
These developments come at a time when the constitutional deadline for the appointment of a new Prime Minister of Iraq to succeed Abdul Mahdi, who resigned under the pressure of two months of popular protests and demands the departure of all the ruling political class, is to fight corruption and improve public services and the living situation.
The President of the Republic transmits the answer of # the Federal Court of the Iraqi Parliament and requests that the largest bloc be identified! Fireball Every party in #Iraq is trying to push it off its clothes, and the people are watching, while the stalkers play against legal loopholes and impose their will by force of arms and intimidation for all parties! - Saif Salah Al-Haiti (@saifsalahalhety) December 22, 2019 |
Demonstrations today
Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in the sit-in squares in Baghdad and other cities this morning, calling for the speedy naming of a candidate to head the government not affiliated with the ruling parties.
A large banner was raised in Tahrir Square, with the names of a number of current politicians nominated for the post written on it, and the word "No .. we reject them" was written on it, indicating the rejection of any candidate chosen by political parties and blocs.
Dhi Qar Governorate (south of the country) witnessed the closure of the main bridges, as well as a number of government departments, except for service and health ones.
Protesters in Najaf Governorate (south) also closed a number of roads. In Al-Diwaniyah Governorate (south), witnesses said that most government departments and schools in the city were closed in response to the strike call.