BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq’s Parliament remains at a stalemate over who should become the country’s next prime minister but may have a candidate in the coming days, Jinan Abdul-Jabbar, a Basra MP with the Civic Alliance, told Rudaw.
She said Parliament is expected to choose a candidate for the premiership but won’t have time to send a delegation to negotiate with Kurdistan Region officials in the north. She said the Kurdistan Alliance in Baghdad would back the Shiite National Alliance’s candidate, who has not yet been chosen.
MPs also told Rudaw that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is still the State of Law coalition’s candidate, despite reports to the contrary. He is unlikely to win enough votes without the support of the powerful National Alliance and other blocs including the Kurds, however, and is unlikely to win over his adversaries even though they don’t have a nominee.
Abdul-Jabbar said the National Alliance has yet to agree on an alternative candidate to Maliki but won’t back the embattled incumbent, who is seeking his third term despite massive opposition to his candidacy.
“Other blocs share the view as well, including the Kurdistan Alliance and United for Reform Coalition,” she said, in reference to the Kurdish and largely Sunni blocs. “The National Alliance is the biggest bloc but there still isn’t an agreement on a candidate for the prime minister’s post.”
Maliki’s critics say he has sidelined Kurds, Sunnis and some of his fellow Shiites and has failed to protect the country against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) extremists who have seized major cities and towns in Iraq.
Abdul-Jabbar said the National Alliance has enough votes to nominate a new premier but is searching for a candidate that will win broad support from other political blocs. Abdul-Jabbar noted that newly elected President Fuad Massoum and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Juburi both received support from across Iraq’s political spectrum.
Zainab Sahlani, an MP for the Liberal bloc, which is affiliated with the National Alliance, said her bloc also won’t back Maliki. Sahlani said constitutionally, there is only one week to choose a new prime minister. If MPs do not elect a new premier, Maliki will remain in power.
“The State of Law coalition’s insistence on re-electing Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister is making it difficult for the National Alliance to nominate its candidate,” Sahlani said. “Discussions are continuing between the blocs within the (National Alliance) to reject Maliki’s third term, while the State of Law is refusing the National Alliance’s candidate.”
Maliki claims he has the right to serve a third time as prime minister because his Shiite-dominated State of Law coalition won the most votes in the April parliamentary election. The National Alliance maintains it holds the most votes in Parliament based on the pan-Shiite alliance of MPs it created after the election.
After MPs choose the prime minister the premier will then form the new cabinet, which Maliki said will not include rival Kurds or Sunni Arabs.
Sahlani said the argument over who has the right to the post is futile because Maliki “failed miserably administering Iraq and made the National Alliance (a former Maliki ally) look bad. It’s important to our bloc that we regain the public’s trust.”
In addition to facing strong opposition from rival political blocs, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iran and even Maliki’s own State of Law coalition have hinted that he should step aside, according to multiple news reports.
However, Alia Nassif, a State of Law MP, said, “The State of Law coalition is standing by its only candidate for the prime minister’s position. The election gives the State of Law the right (to choose the prime minister) because we’re the biggest bloc.”
The Washington Post reported earlier this week that Shiite politicians have discussed nominating Maliki’s chief of staff, Tariq Najim, who was named the likely candidate, as well as Foreign Minister Hussain al-Shahristani and Basra Governor Khalaf Abdul-Samad.
