Politics

Date of vote on new Iraqi cabinet unclear as parliament rejects PM-Designate call

Iraqi Parliament Speaker, Mohammed al-Halbousi, said that the legislature has not set a date for an extraordinary session called by Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi to give confidence to his proposed cabinet.

Kurdistan 24 2020/02/22 15:16

middle east Iraq Baghdad Erbil KRG

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Parliament Speaker, Mohammed al-Halbousi, said that the legislature had not set a date for an extraordinary session called for by Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi to give confidence to his proposed cabinet.

This comes as Allawi announced Wednesday that he had formed an "independent" cabinet and called on the national parliament to hold an extraordinary session next week to vote on it. March 2 marks a constitutional deadline for the vote, but such deadlines often go unmet in Iraq with few or no consequences.

A day after Allawi's comments, outgoing caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi issued a statement that also called on the legislature to hold a meeting on the issue.

However, the premier's nomination has been wracked by disputes as protesters have rejected him, and Kurdish and Iraqi Sunni politicians have criticized him for an apparent sidelining of their leaders.

"The date of the extraordinary session cannot be set, as… until now, the ministerial program and the names of members of the cabinet have not reached the parliament." Halbousi, who is a Sunni politician, said in a statement on Friday.

Allawi has reportedly said that he would send the names to the legislature just ahead of the vote on Monday. But, Halbousi affirmed that only "Once the ministerial curriculum and the names of ministers arrive [in parliament], the speakership will carry out the procedures needed for holding the session."

Halbousi's position also seems to be contradicting an earlier statement of his deputy Hassan al-Kaabi, a Shia politician who said that the legislature is "obligated" to meet on Monday to resolve the issue.

Allawi has said his government, if approved, would investigate the violence committed against ongoing anti-government protests that began in October and led to the resignation of Abdul Mahdi, in an apparent effort to plead with the demonstrators. He has also promised to facilitate "free and fair early elections."

Halbousi, however, stated that he "does not see any seriousness from the Prime Minister-Designate in setting a date for early elections," saying that "the goal of the next government should be to impose security, restore state prestige and hold a vote."