Iraqi President appoints new Prime Minister despite rejection by protesters
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi president Barham Salih officially appointed Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi to form the new Iraqi cabinet on Saturday. Protesters in Baghdad and other major cities had already rejected the former Minister of Communications’ candidacy for the role of Prime Minister before it was officially announced.
Iraqi security analyst Husham al-Hashimi tweeted on Saturday following the appointment of Allawi that the agreement between the Shiite al-Fatih coalition and Allawi will provoke unrest in the streets. The coalition, which placed second in Iraq's 2018 parliamentary elections, is comprised of several political arms of the PMF, the Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militias at the heart of recent tensions between the US and Iran on Iraqi soil.
“The agreement between Fatih coalition and Muhammad Tawfiq Alawi is an agenda agreement and not an agreement to solve the crisis. The agreement is rejected by the movement on the street, and at some point this agreement will provoke the streets, as the engineer Mohammed Allawi needs to push himself away from those restrictions, the demands of the streets invented by nationalist youth, who have great vision and are independent to the extreme limits,” tweeted al-Hashimi.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi resigned from his post in late 2019 following months of protests against the government, but remained in the role as the head of a caretaker government as the dominant Shiite blocs of parliament failed to agree on a replacement that is also acceptable to the protesters on the streets.
After Salih selected Saturday as a deadline for influential Shiite political parties to reach an agreement and nominate a candidate whom Salih could assign to form Iraq’s new cabinet, Shiite political factions agreed to nominate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi. Allawi served as Iraq’s Minister of Communications under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2010 to 2012, resigning from his post a the end of both stints.
In a video published on Saturday, Allawi announced that he had been appointed by Salih to form the next Iraqi cabinet and called on protesters to continue protesting to help him implement necessary reforms.
“I hereby announce that I have been appointed by the Iraqi President to form the next Iraqi cabinet,” Allawi said in the video. “I call on all protesters to keep protesting, as you will help me and assist me with your protests.”
Young Iraqis have been in the streets of the nation’s southern and central cities since October 2019 to protest the lack of basic services, rampant corruption, and high unemployment in their country.
Following a short pause for a Shiite religious holiday, the protests resumed with increased intensity and widespread demands for the overthrow of the post-2003 political establishment.
More than 600 people have been killed and around 18,000 injured in clashes between protesters, security forces, and pro-Iran militias according to Amnesty International.
Protesters in Baghdad and southern provinces rejected the possible nomination of Allawi multiple times since last month, claiming that he is beholden to establishment parties and voicing their preference for a political outsider.
Caretaker Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi called Allawi on the phone to send congratulations and wish him success in his new task. The two men agreed to meet soon and work jointly for the sake of democracy in Iraq.
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, head of Parliament's powerful Sairun bloc, tweeted that the protesters and Iraqi people have chosen Allawi to become the next Iraqi Prime Minister, despite the fact that protesters in central and southern parts of Iraq are currently demonstrating against Allawi's appointment. Sairun bloc supported Allawi's nomination in a compromise agreement with al-Fatih coalition.
“Today history witnessed that Iraqi people chose the next Iraqi PM and not the political parties,” Sadr tweeted. “I call on protesters to keep protesting until the full formation of the cabinet, and ask Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi to not give up due to internal or external mounting pressures.“
Sadr also called on protesters to be patient and give Allawi a chance.
The US embassy in Baghdad released a statement following Allawi's appointment, calling for an “independent and honest” government to meet the demands of the Iraqi people.
“Current conditions in Iraq and the region require an independent and honest government committed to addressing the needs of the Iraqi people. The nomination of Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi as a new Prime Minister must be followed up with efforts to accomplish that objective,” the statement read.
The statement also indicated US readiness to work together with Allawi's government to achieve stability and security in Iraq, saying, "The US regards the security of Iraq as vital and will work with the new government once formed to foster conditions for Iraq’s stability, prosperity, and sovereignty.”
This story was updated at 11:09 PM (GMT + 3).
Iraqi security analyst Husham al-Hashimi tweeted on Saturday following the appointment of Allawi that the agreement between the Shiite al-Fatih coalition and Allawi will provoke unrest in the streets. The coalition, which placed second in Iraq's 2018 parliamentary elections, is comprised of several political arms of the PMF, the Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militias at the heart of recent tensions between the US and Iran on Iraqi soil.
“The agreement between Fatih coalition and Muhammad Tawfiq Alawi is an agenda agreement and not an agreement to solve the crisis. The agreement is rejected by the movement on the street, and at some point this agreement will provoke the streets, as the engineer Mohammed Allawi needs to push himself away from those restrictions, the demands of the streets invented by nationalist youth, who have great vision and are independent to the extreme limits,” tweeted al-Hashimi.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi resigned from his post in late 2019 following months of protests against the government, but remained in the role as the head of a caretaker government as the dominant Shiite blocs of parliament failed to agree on a replacement that is also acceptable to the protesters on the streets.
After Salih selected Saturday as a deadline for influential Shiite political parties to reach an agreement and nominate a candidate whom Salih could assign to form Iraq’s new cabinet, Shiite political factions agreed to nominate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi. Allawi served as Iraq’s Minister of Communications under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2010 to 2012, resigning from his post a the end of both stints.
In a video published on Saturday, Allawi announced that he had been appointed by Salih to form the next Iraqi cabinet and called on protesters to continue protesting to help him implement necessary reforms.
“I hereby announce that I have been appointed by the Iraqi President to form the next Iraqi cabinet,” Allawi said in the video. “I call on all protesters to keep protesting, as you will help me and assist me with your protests.”
Young Iraqis have been in the streets of the nation’s southern and central cities since October 2019 to protest the lack of basic services, rampant corruption, and high unemployment in their country.
Following a short pause for a Shiite religious holiday, the protests resumed with increased intensity and widespread demands for the overthrow of the post-2003 political establishment.
More than 600 people have been killed and around 18,000 injured in clashes between protesters, security forces, and pro-Iran militias according to Amnesty International.
Protesters in Baghdad and southern provinces rejected the possible nomination of Allawi multiple times since last month, claiming that he is beholden to establishment parties and voicing their preference for a political outsider.
Caretaker Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi called Allawi on the phone to send congratulations and wish him success in his new task. The two men agreed to meet soon and work jointly for the sake of democracy in Iraq.
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, head of Parliament's powerful Sairun bloc, tweeted that the protesters and Iraqi people have chosen Allawi to become the next Iraqi Prime Minister, despite the fact that protesters in central and southern parts of Iraq are currently demonstrating against Allawi's appointment. Sairun bloc supported Allawi's nomination in a compromise agreement with al-Fatih coalition.
“Today history witnessed that Iraqi people chose the next Iraqi PM and not the political parties,” Sadr tweeted. “I call on protesters to keep protesting until the full formation of the cabinet, and ask Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi to not give up due to internal or external mounting pressures.“
Sadr also called on protesters to be patient and give Allawi a chance.
The US embassy in Baghdad released a statement following Allawi's appointment, calling for an “independent and honest” government to meet the demands of the Iraqi people.
“Current conditions in Iraq and the region require an independent and honest government committed to addressing the needs of the Iraqi people. The nomination of Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi as a new Prime Minister must be followed up with efforts to accomplish that objective,” the statement read.
The statement also indicated US readiness to work together with Allawi's government to achieve stability and security in Iraq, saying, "The US regards the security of Iraq as vital and will work with the new government once formed to foster conditions for Iraq’s stability, prosperity, and sovereignty.”
This story was updated at 11:09 PM (GMT + 3).