Maliki’s press office denies his candidacy for Iraqi PM

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The press office of the former Prime Minister of Iraq on Tuesday rejected claims he was nominated for the position again as a document suggesting he was circulated Iraqi social media.

A document allegedly signed by a number of Iraqi leaders made the rounds on Facebook on Monday, claiming an agreement was reached to promote former PM Nouri al-Maliki as a candidate for the post. In the document, Rashid al-Azzawi was reportedly put forward as a candidate for the Speaker of Parliament, Hadi al-Amiri as the vice-President of Iraq, Falih al-Fayyadh as the deputy Prime Minister, Ahmed al-Assadi as the Deputy Parliament Speaker, and Ahmed al-Jabbouri as the Foreign Minister.

The head of Maliki’s Press office, Hisham al-Rikabi, denied the document was authentic, simply describing it as “fake.”

He cautioned people “not to fall into the trap of counterfeiters and liars.”

On Sunday, Iraq’s two Shia rivals announced they had each developed alliances in the Iraqi parliament capable of forming a government after months of negotiations following the May 12 parliamentary election.

There are intense rivalries between the two main Shia coalitions who are vying to form the largest parliamentary bloc and lead the new government. The two contenders are the al-Fatih and State of Law coalition, led by Amiri and Maliki, and the Sairoon-led bloc, allied with the Nasr (Victory) coalition, headed by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi respectively.

Iraq held nationwide parliamentary elections on May 12. The ratification of results was delayed for months due to a contentious recount process over allegations of fraud and vote rigging.

The new Iraqi government would be tasked with rebuilding the country after a three-year war against the Islamic State (IS) and balancing relations between Iraq’s biggest allies, Iran and the US.

Editing by Nadia Riva