Protests continue in Iraq and demand for a prime minister from activists

Calm has prevailed this morning on the Al-Khilani and Al-Tahrir areas in the center of the Iraqi capital. Meanwhile, sit-ins and protests continue in the cities of the center and south, with demonstrators insisting on nominating an independent figure to take over as prime minister, while Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi is preparing to present his cabinet formation to parliament within days.

Yesterday, hundreds demonstrated in the city of Karbala (south of Baghdad) to demand the appointment of a prominent activist to form a new government in place of Muhammad Allawi.

The demonstrators carried pictures of Alaa al-Rikabi, the pharmacist who turned into one of the most prominent faces of the protest movement while leading the demonstrations in the city of Nasiriyah, south of Baghdad.

Al-Rikabi, who has been following tens of thousands of Iraqis on Twitter and constantly publishing widely-watched video recordings, recently launched a referendum among protesters in the south and in Baghdad to determine whether they want him as prime minister.

He said in his last record last Thursday that he would accept taking over the post if "the people's opinion was that." "I have no greed for the position of prime minister (...) and it does not represent any value to me and I do not view it as a position or a spoil, but rather a place with great responsibility," he said.

Kurds and Sunnis
On their part, Sunni and Kurdish leaders demanded on Sunday that the country's components should be included in the government of Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi, in a sign of fears of Shiite forces taking control of the government.

This came during two separate meetings conducted by the leader of the Iraqi Forces Alliance and Parliament Speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi, with the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani, in Erbil (the Kurdistan Regional Center for Iraq), and the leader of the Kurdistan National Union, Lahore Genki, in Sulaimaniya in the north of the country.

A joint statement issued by Barzani and Halbousi said that the two sides agreed to work with all political forces to get out of the current impasse, which would contribute to restoring stability in Baghdad and the southern provinces.

The statement stated that any upcoming government should be representative of all components of Iraq, and on the basis of the national partnership, adding that the government program must include a clear vision in preparing for the early elections as soon as possible.

The Federation of Iraqi Forces, led by al-Halbousi, is the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, and holds about 40 out of 329 seats.

While the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan are the two main parties in the northern Kurdistan region, and they hold 25 and 19 seats in Parliament, respectively.

Allawi had announced on Saturday that he was close to completing a government formation made up of independents away from the influence of the parties. He pointed out that he will present the squad to Parliament this week.

Allawi was named to the post following an unspoken agreement between the two largest blocs in Parliament, which are all supported by the leader of the Sadrist movement Muqtada al-Sadr and the Fatah faction led by Hadi al-Amiri.

Allawi does not enjoy the support of the popular movement that has continued since last October, as it is an extension of parties accused of corruption and subordination abroad.