Iraq’s Shia Vice-President Adel Abdul-Mahdi addresses reporters at the parliament in Baghdad, yesterday. Abdul-Mahdi thanked the Iraqi National Alliance for choosing him as a prime minister candidate, six months after a general election that produced no clear winnerWednesday, 08 September 2010
US and Iran favour Maliki as Iraq PM six months after polls
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has the backing of Washington and US arch-foe Iran to keep his job, six months after he narrowly lost an election to ex-premier Iyad Allawi, politicians said yesterday.
The United States has consistently denied having any favoured candidate for the premiership but amid growing impatience for a new government in Baghdad it now sees Maliki as the conflict-wracked country’s only viable leader.
A grave fear that Allawi will “re-Baathify” Iraq, bringing former allies of Saddam Hussein back to power, has also led its Shia parties, with close ties to Iran, to accept Maliki, despite scepticism about his character and ability.
Maliki’s State of Law Alliance, a Shia grouping, gained two fewer seats in the election than Iraqiya, a broadly secular coalition with strong Sunni backing led by Allawi, a Shia.
But neither man has managed to gain a working parliamentary majority despite months of coalition negotiations, leaving the nation’s politics in limbo amid growing public frustration at the lack of progress.
There have been 56 national elections or referendums worldwide, according to IFES (the International Foundation for Electoral Systems), since Iraqis voted in the parliamentary poll on March 7.
The impasse has led US officials, anxious to avoid further delays that could potentially cause Iraq’s fledgling democracy to unravel, to seek a Maliki-led government that gives a prominent role to Allawi.
A senior State of Law official said Maliki received assurances during US Vice-President Joe Biden’s recent visit that major neighbouring Arab countries, except Saudi Arabia, had decided to stop backing Allawi’s premiership hopes.
“Maliki was quoting Biden as saying, ‘Iraqiya has many problems and complexities... I told Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to end their support for Allawi,’” the official said Biden told Maliki.
“’They were all convinced except Saudi Arabia,’” he quoted the vice president as saying.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday ended a visit to Qatar.
The complex arithmetic of securing 163 seats for a parliamentary majority, and the cabinet posts that will follow as a result, has also left Iraq’s Kurds and the ultra-Shia Sadrist bloc willing to accept Maliki.
Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani “informed Allawi of his support for Maliki,” the State of Law official said, in a move that would deprive Allawi of the Kurdish bloc’s 57 seats, making it impossible for him to secure a majority.
The Sadrists, who have previously voiced stern objections to Maliki serving a second term, also appear to have been appeased.
“We will deal with Nouri Al Maliki as prime minister if he wins the position in the government for the second time,” prominent Sadrist MP Bahaa Al Aaraji said.
Iraq is entering a new phase of uncertainty ahead of a full withdrawal next year by the US forces that invaded the country in 2003 to topple Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/middle-east/125737-us-and-iran-favour-maliki-as-iraq-pm-six-months-after-polls.html
US and Iran favour Maliki as Iraq PM six months after polls
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has the backing of Washington and US arch-foe Iran to keep his job, six months after he narrowly lost an election to ex-premier Iyad Allawi, politicians said yesterday.
The United States has consistently denied having any favoured candidate for the premiership but amid growing impatience for a new government in Baghdad it now sees Maliki as the conflict-wracked country’s only viable leader.
A grave fear that Allawi will “re-Baathify” Iraq, bringing former allies of Saddam Hussein back to power, has also led its Shia parties, with close ties to Iran, to accept Maliki, despite scepticism about his character and ability.
Maliki’s State of Law Alliance, a Shia grouping, gained two fewer seats in the election than Iraqiya, a broadly secular coalition with strong Sunni backing led by Allawi, a Shia.
But neither man has managed to gain a working parliamentary majority despite months of coalition negotiations, leaving the nation’s politics in limbo amid growing public frustration at the lack of progress.
There have been 56 national elections or referendums worldwide, according to IFES (the International Foundation for Electoral Systems), since Iraqis voted in the parliamentary poll on March 7.
The impasse has led US officials, anxious to avoid further delays that could potentially cause Iraq’s fledgling democracy to unravel, to seek a Maliki-led government that gives a prominent role to Allawi.
A senior State of Law official said Maliki received assurances during US Vice-President Joe Biden’s recent visit that major neighbouring Arab countries, except Saudi Arabia, had decided to stop backing Allawi’s premiership hopes.
“Maliki was quoting Biden as saying, ‘Iraqiya has many problems and complexities... I told Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to end their support for Allawi,’” the official said Biden told Maliki.
“’They were all convinced except Saudi Arabia,’” he quoted the vice president as saying.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday ended a visit to Qatar.
The complex arithmetic of securing 163 seats for a parliamentary majority, and the cabinet posts that will follow as a result, has also left Iraq’s Kurds and the ultra-Shia Sadrist bloc willing to accept Maliki.
Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani “informed Allawi of his support for Maliki,” the State of Law official said, in a move that would deprive Allawi of the Kurdish bloc’s 57 seats, making it impossible for him to secure a majority.
The Sadrists, who have previously voiced stern objections to Maliki serving a second term, also appear to have been appeased.
“We will deal with Nouri Al Maliki as prime minister if he wins the position in the government for the second time,” prominent Sadrist MP Bahaa Al Aaraji said.
Iraq is entering a new phase of uncertainty ahead of a full withdrawal next year by the US forces that invaded the country in 2003 to topple Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/middle-east/125737-us-and-iran-favour-maliki-as-iraq-pm-six-months-after-polls.html
