ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq’s struggles to form a government will yield fruitful results in the coming months, the country’s foreign minister said during a panel at the diplomatic forum in Turkey's southwestern province of Antalya on Saturday.
Fuad Hussein stressed that while Iraq is struggling to form a government, progress is being made as "the process of democracy in Iraq is new" and that issues in the system are expected, adding that it's a "learning process."
"Until this moment there are discussions within the framework of political parties so that they will reach an agreement," Hussein said at the second Antalya Diplomatic Forum (ADF), which began on Friday morning.
The foreign minister touched on Iraq's troubled past, noting that "Iraq was under a dictatorship for 40 years," while also expressing hope for the proper implementation of the democratic process in the country.
Iraq held snap parliamentary elections on October 10. The vote was called in response to mass protests in the country beginning in October 2019, caused by widespread dissatisfaction with Iraq's politicians and endemic corruption in the country.
The Sadrist movement, led by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, emerged as the kingmaker of the election, securing 73 seats.
Sadr's bloc is in a tripartite alliance with the KDP and the Sunnis to form a "national majority government," however the idea is opposed by many Iran-backed Shiite parties who favor a consensus government, one which would include them.
Iraq elected the speaker of the parliament and his two deputies in January but efforts to vote in a new president have thus far been futile. The legislature reopened the door for presidential candidates for the third time last week.
Fuad Hussein stressed that while Iraq is struggling to form a government, progress is being made as "the process of democracy in Iraq is new" and that issues in the system are expected, adding that it's a "learning process."
"Until this moment there are discussions within the framework of political parties so that they will reach an agreement," Hussein said at the second Antalya Diplomatic Forum (ADF), which began on Friday morning.
The foreign minister touched on Iraq's troubled past, noting that "Iraq was under a dictatorship for 40 years," while also expressing hope for the proper implementation of the democratic process in the country.
Iraq held snap parliamentary elections on October 10. The vote was called in response to mass protests in the country beginning in October 2019, caused by widespread dissatisfaction with Iraq's politicians and endemic corruption in the country.
The Sadrist movement, led by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, emerged as the kingmaker of the election, securing 73 seats.
Sadr's bloc is in a tripartite alliance with the KDP and the Sunnis to form a "national majority government," however the idea is opposed by many Iran-backed Shiite parties who favor a consensus government, one which would include them.
Iraq elected the speaker of the parliament and his two deputies in January but efforts to vote in a new president have thus far been futile. The legislature reopened the door for presidential candidates for the third time last week.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment