ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki caused a political stir on Sunday evening when he accused the president of violating the constitution and vowed to take him to the supreme court for his actions.
Maliki accused newly elected President Fuad Masoum of “violating the constitution for political reasons and supporting one political faction at the expense of another and the interests of the Iraqi people,”
Maliki said that Masoum did not support the State of Law candidate to form a government “which is the biggest bloc in parliament.”
Furthermore, he asked parliamentary speaker Salim al-Jibouri to hold the president responsible for his violations.
“The president’s actions are a coup over the constitution and political process in a country that has a democratic, federal and pluralist system,” said Maliki in a televised address.
The prime minister said that the country was facing serious dangers and partisanship was detrimental to the security and stability of Iraq.
Some observers interpreted Maliki’s speech as a coup and an attempt to concentrate full powers in his own hands.
There were also reports that troops loyal to Maliki had surrounded the presidential palace in Baghdad.
However, Masoum, a leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) who was elected president last month received the backing of all Kurdish parties and foreign diplomats.
“The President of Iraq, Dr Fuad Masoum, is undertaking his duties in line with the constitution and the democratic political process,” said UN Special Envoy to Iraq Nickolay Mladenov in a tweet.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (Iraq and Iran), Brett McGurk also aired his support for Masoum, saying in a tweet, “Fully support President of #Iraq Fuad Masum as guarantor of the Constitution and a PM nominee who can build a national consensus.”
