Politics

Iran-backed faction rejects ‘unconstitutional’ nomination of new Iraqi PM

A leading and highly influential Iraqi parliamentary faction on Tuesday rejected what it called the “unconstitutional” nomination of a politician relatively unknown to the general public to form a new transitional government in the wake of the last prime minister's resignation late last year amid a nationwide protest movement.

Kosar Nawzad 2020/03/17 20:58

middle east Iraq Baghdad Iran US Washington

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A leading and highly influential Iraqi parliamentary faction on Tuesday rejected what it called the “unconstitutional” nomination of a politician relatively unknown to the general public to form a new transitional government in the wake of the last prime minister's resignation late last year amid a nationwide protest movement.

Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Adnan al-Zurfi to form a new cabinet earlier on Tuesday, despite strong objections to the move by pro-Iran politicians. Primary among those criticizing the nomination was the Bina Bloc, a parliamentary grouping consisting mainly of political representatives from Shia militias under the flag of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The Fatih Alliance of militia commander Hadi Amiri spearheads the Bina bloc. Amiri is the leader of the Badr Organization, an Iran-aligned armed group that is a prominent part of the PMF, known as the Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic.

The Sairoon Coalition of firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr leads the Islah bloc, which is second to Bina in terms of the number of seats it controls in parliament. Previous prime minister hopeful Mohammed Allawi was a compromise candidate offered by the two sides, as was the case with Adil Abdul Mahdi, who resigned in November.

In the end, Allawi’s efforts did not succeed as Kurdish and Sunni members of the legislature complained about the politician’s methods of picking “independent” ministers for his cabinet. A constitutionally mandated deadline passed with Allawi not able to garner enough votes to pass a parliamentary vote of confidence.

Abdul Mahdi’s resignation precipitated the current political crisis the country finds itself in. He stepped down after days of unprecedented violence, largely carried out by Iraqi security forces and PMF members against mostly peaceful anti-government protesters.

Since they took to the streets at the beginning of October, demonstrators have been demanding the expulsion of what they view as a blatantly corrupt political elite that siphons off much of the nation's substantial oil wealth, leading to poor governance, weak institutions, poor public services, and chronically low living standards.

Now, Sadr’s Islah Bloc seems to have picked a new nominee without reaching a consensus with Amiri’s Bina. Notably, Zurfi is the leader of the Nasr Coalition, which is part of Islah and the parliamentary faction of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Previously the governor of Najaf province after the fall of the Iraqi regime in 2003, Zurfi is an Iraq-US dual national, an AFP report on Tuesday noted. He is seen by many as a politician with close ties with Washington.

His nomination comes amid heightened US-Iran tensions, dwindled but ongoing protests, and Iraq’s efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus, most cases of which are thought to have been brought into the country by those having just returned from Iran.

“We reject the unconstitutional step taken by the President of the Republic to appoint a candidate outside constitutional procedures, which stipulates that the largest bloc assigns a candidate,” read a statement from Amiri’s Fatih Alliance.

Fatih said the group holds President Salih “fully responsible for the repercussions of these provocative steps” and said it would “take all measures to prevent this disregard for the law and the constitution.”

Editing by John J. Catherine