Former Iraqi PM Allawi says reports of his death 'preparation for his assassination'
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Senior Iraqi politician and former prime minister Ayad Allawi on Tuesday accused a "neighboring country" of fabricating news of his death "in preparation," he said, for his assassination.
The claim came in a statement from Allawi's office a day after social media users circulated reports that he had died in a Baghdad hospital. Sources close to him quickly denied this.
In a statement, his office asserted that "the intelligence services of a neighboring country" were pushing false reports of his death "in preparation for his assassination."
It further noted that the former prime minister "is in good health."
Allawi, a vocal critic of Iran's outsized influence in an increasingly tense Iraq, was implicitly referring to Tehran, which has entrenched itself in Iraqi politics through decades of recruitment to, and aid for, militias now affiliated to parties that hold the greatest number of seats in the parliament in Baghdad.
Tehran often denies meddling in Iraqi politics and says its aid to Baghdad is aimed at helping to defeat the so-called Islamic State.
In the contentious 2010 Iraqi elections, Allawi came head to head with then Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is close to Iran. Maliki was eventually able to secure the premiership with Allawi accusing Tehran of meddling in the election's outcome.
As the leading member of the National Iraqi Alliance, Allawi won a seat in the 2018 national parliamentary elections. However, he recently withdrew from his post after he said the body "failed to fulfill its legislative and oversight role and did not deal seriously and positively with the demands of the popular and mass movement," according to a January statement from his office.
His withdrawal came amid ongoing anti-government protests that turned violent again in recent days after a few weeks of calm. Demonstrations began in early October and have since resulted in at least 450 deaths, with unofficial statistics estimating over 600 killed.
Editing by John J. Catherine