Iraqi president appoints Adnan al-Zurfi as new PM-designate

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi President Barham Salih on Tuesday appointed the former governor of Najaf, and the current leader of the Al-Nasr coalition, Adnan al-Zurfi, to form the transitional government in Iraq.

On Feb. 1, Salih designated Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, who previously served as Iraq’s minister of communication, to be an interim leader of the government.

However, Allawi failed to form his government due to differences among political factions as he appeared to sideline the Kurdish and Sunni leadership and picked what he claimed were “independent” nominees for his cabinet.

According to the Iraqi Constitution, Zurfi has one month to form his cabinet, at which point the national parliament would hold a vote to approve him as prime minister and his picks to lead a new government.

Zurfi would act as interim prime minister and plan early legislative elections, a popular demand of protesters, among others.

A local source told Kurdistan 24 that Zurfi, who leads the al-Nasr bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, is considered a “consensual” candidate, noting that Salih invited Zurfi to the presidential palace on Monday.

Zurfi also faces opposition from pro-Iranian blocs and factions, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, who stated on Monday evening that his designation is a “conspiracy devised in the dark.”

Iraq has witnessed a political gap for over three months now after Adil Abdul Mahdi turned in his resignation as Iraqi prime minister amid a security forces-led deadly crackdown of widespread anti-government demonstrations.

Over 600 people have died, and thousands more injured as anti-government protests across parts of central and southern Iraq broke out in October 2019.

Protesters call for an end to the public’s economic woes and a complete governmental overhaul amid shortages of public services, high rates of unemployment, and chronic institutional corruption.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany