Al-Monitor: Allawi is mired in the dilemma of forming an Iraqi government

After strenuous attempts by the Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi to form an independent government during the past days, Parliament failed to achieve a quorum to vote on the formation of the government, and postponed to next Sunday the session to discuss the fate of the government.

In a report published by the American "Al-Monitor" website, he mentioned that many Sunni and Kurdish deputies boycotted Thursday's session, along with other deputies, which led to its cancellation. As many of the blocs expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of consulting Allawi with them regarding the formation of his government.

In fact, Allawi's failure to form a government was not surprising. On previous occasions, Allawi expressed his dissatisfaction with the pressure of various political parties on him, and that it did not allow him to choose independent ministers who do not have any sectarian affiliation.

This was highlighted by Allawi's tweet on Twitter, saying, "I have heard that there is a plan to thwart the government's passage due to the inability to continue the thefts, because the ministries will be run by independent and impartial ministers. This information is incorrect. "

Mission Impossible
The report stated that Allawi faces contradictory demands from the competing political parties, which makes his mission to form a consensual government impossible.

Allawi published his government program on February 25, including his agenda and future policies that include planning for early elections and bringing about reforms. His plan also includes choosing independent ministers who are not affiliated with political parties.

In the face of this, it seems unlikely that political parties will accept the way Allawi chooses the cabinet, because it eliminates their political influence.

Allawi - according to the report - who does not belong to any political party that supports him in the event of concluding deals with other parties. Therefore, he is under pressure due to the conflicting demands made by the various parties, and it is difficult to achieve them.

The list of competing parties includes demonstrators, Sunni blocs, Kurdish blocs and Shiite blocs, as well as the United States, which wants to maintain a balance of power between all of the parties mentioned above.

The report indicated that the demonstrators are calling for the creation of a non-sectarian and non-partisan government. While the two main Shiite blocs that nominated Allawi - the Fatah coalition that is the political front for the popular crowd, and the alliance of pro-Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr - agreed to give Allawi the freedom to form his government independently, Kurds and Arab Sunnis want their own share of the cabinet.

After the Kurds met Allawi to discuss his government and program last week, the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, chaired a meeting in Erbil on February 24, in which he concluded that "the steps that Allawi has taken so far have not won the trust of many Iraqi parties and societies. Therefore, we ask It includes reviewing his work plan and agenda in a way that makes the future government meet the demands of all Iraqi societies. "

As for the Sunni party, the Iraqi Forces Alliance (the largest Sunni parliamentary bloc), led by the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, has announced that he will not vote for the Allawi government, justifying his approach that Allawi is not independent and nominated by parties and thus will implement its agendas.

The report adds that although the Al-Fateh coalition and the coalition of the rest of the country can gather enough votes for Allawi, this will push the country to a dangerous stage that includes more division, and may push the Kurds and Sunnis towards secession.

The writer concluded that the political turmoil will continue with protesters rejecting Allawi and the inability of political parties to overcome their differences. In light of clear competition between the United States and Iran in Iraq.