September 5, 2010
Iraqi Shiite Bloc Says It Will Choose Maliki or Mahdi for Prime Minister
Iraq’s two top Shiite Muslim-led groups will choose a candidate for the post of prime minister this month, paving the way for an end to the country’s political crisis, Ali al-Dabbagh, a senior parliamentarian, said today.
“We have achieved progress and we should be naming a single candidate for the premiership by the end of the month,” said Dabbagh, who is a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law party. The Iraqi National Alliance, which is allied to the party, said in a statement yesterday that Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi was its candidate for the premiership.
“Now we are discussing the mechanism to choose one candidate between Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki,” Dabbagh said in a telephone interview. “There is no need for further delays. We have to do it this month.”
The bloc’s failure to agree on a candidate has contributed to a delay in forming a government since elections on March 7, in which no group won enough seats to govern alone. The political impasse in Iraq, which holds the world’s third-largest oil reserves, has coincided with an upsurge in violence and a drawdown of U.S. combat troops last month, seven years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein from power.
Political leaders have been seeking allies since the vote in an attempt to form the biggest coalition. Under the constitution, the largest bloc gets first choice at forming the government only if it has a premiership candidate. The Shiite bloc needs four more seats to reach the 163 needed for a majority in the 325-seat assembly.
Allawi Meeting
State of Law held a meeting today with the Iraqiyah coalition of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in a bid to form a “partnership government that groups all parties,” said Dabbagh.
Allawi, a Shiite politician whose coalition also includes minority Sunni Muslim groups, claims to lead the largest bloc in parliament since his grouping won the most votes at the elections, with 91 seats. State of Law won 89 and the Iraqi National Alliance 70.
“Once we choose one candidate, we will proceed to parliament for the election of the president, the prime minister and the parliament speaker,” said Dabbagh. “Our coalition has 159 seats and therefore we have the largest bloc,” said Dabbagh.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-05/iraqi-shiite-bloc-says-it-will-choose-maliki-or-mahdi-for-prime-minister.html
Iraqi Shiite Bloc Says It Will Choose Maliki or Mahdi for Prime Minister
Iraq’s two top Shiite Muslim-led groups will choose a candidate for the post of prime minister this month, paving the way for an end to the country’s political crisis, Ali al-Dabbagh, a senior parliamentarian, said today.
“We have achieved progress and we should be naming a single candidate for the premiership by the end of the month,” said Dabbagh, who is a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law party. The Iraqi National Alliance, which is allied to the party, said in a statement yesterday that Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi was its candidate for the premiership.
“Now we are discussing the mechanism to choose one candidate between Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki,” Dabbagh said in a telephone interview. “There is no need for further delays. We have to do it this month.”
The bloc’s failure to agree on a candidate has contributed to a delay in forming a government since elections on March 7, in which no group won enough seats to govern alone. The political impasse in Iraq, which holds the world’s third-largest oil reserves, has coincided with an upsurge in violence and a drawdown of U.S. combat troops last month, seven years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein from power.
Political leaders have been seeking allies since the vote in an attempt to form the biggest coalition. Under the constitution, the largest bloc gets first choice at forming the government only if it has a premiership candidate. The Shiite bloc needs four more seats to reach the 163 needed for a majority in the 325-seat assembly.
Allawi Meeting
State of Law held a meeting today with the Iraqiyah coalition of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in a bid to form a “partnership government that groups all parties,” said Dabbagh.
Allawi, a Shiite politician whose coalition also includes minority Sunni Muslim groups, claims to lead the largest bloc in parliament since his grouping won the most votes at the elections, with 91 seats. State of Law won 89 and the Iraqi National Alliance 70.
“Once we choose one candidate, we will proceed to parliament for the election of the president, the prime minister and the parliament speaker,” said Dabbagh. “Our coalition has 159 seats and therefore we have the largest bloc,” said Dabbagh.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-05/iraqi-shiite-bloc-says-it-will-choose-maliki-or-mahdi-for-prime-minister.html
