Kurdish leaders publicly wish success for Iraq's new PM-designate

Speaking over the phone with Iraq’s newly-picked Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi, top Kurdish officials on Thursday formally congratulated the intelligence chief on his nomination and wished him success.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Speaking over the phone with Iraq’s newly-picked Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi, top Kurdish officials on Thursday formally congratulated the intelligence chief on his nomination and wished him success.

“I had a telephone conversation with PM-designate @MAKadhimi earlier today,” said Masoud Barzani, the former President of the Kurdistan Region and current leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), in a tweet. “I wished him success in the process of forming the new cabinet. It is my sincere hope that with our support, he will succeed in forming the government.”

Kadhimi, the director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, was officially tasked with forming a new cabinet by Iraqi President Barham Salih after the second candidate to lead the nation, Adnan al-Zurfi, withdrew his candidacy due to lack of support from leading political factions.

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Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also spoke with Kadhimi, and “offered his support in the formation of a new federal government,” read a statement from the autonomous region’s premier on Thursday.

Barzani “underlined the importance of working together to resolve disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad in accordance with Iraq’s Constitution.”

Lingering issues between Baghdad and Erbil are just one category of a host of issues any new Iraqi prime minister will need to tackle. Others include the coronavirus pandemic that is crippling governments worldwide, an ongoing protest movement that continues to demand systematic change in the national political system, potential economic repercussions of falling oil prices, and an uptick in attacks by remnants of the Islamic State.

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Kadhimi has 30 days to propose with a ministerial program and cabinet to the national legislature and face a vote of confidence.

On Wednesday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said he welcomed efforts by Iraq’s Shia parties to appoint Kadhimi as the country’s prime minister and called for support from all sides to expedite the formation of a new government.

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Along with the KDP, the Kurdistan Region's second-largest party in the Kurdistan Region based in Sulaimani, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), also publicly welcomed Kadhimi’s nomination. The leading Sunni faction headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi also voiced its support for the pick. Kadhimi also has the support of several Shia factions, including the Iran-aligned Fatah Coalition, led by former Transportation Minister and militia commander Hadi al-Amiri.

The outgoing Prime Minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi, resigned in late November after days of unprecedented violence, largely carried out by Iraqi security forces and Shia militia members against mostly peaceful anti-government protesters.

Following months of political jockeying, some Shia parties first picked Mohamed Allawi to form a new cabinet in early February but did not win over enough political parties to succeed. Following him, Zurfi took on the mantle but his efforts also failed as leading parties gathered around Kadhimi to end months of political deadlock amid the formidable domestic, regional, and international crises in which Iraq finds itself. 

Editing by John J. Catherine