Kurds call on Iraqi PM-designate to 'revise' cabinet formation plans

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi PM designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi must “revise” his cabinet formation, senior Kurdish officials said following a Monday meeting to discuss meetings held with Baghdad last week.
 
“The steps taken by Mr Allawi, so far, have not gained the confidence of most of the Iraqis, therefore we call on him to revise his mechanism and agenda in a way that the next government can meet the demands of all [ethnic and religious] groups in Iraq,” read a statement from Kurdistan Region’s presidency.

The Monday meeting was headed by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and various Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Speaker Rewaz Fayaq and leaders of several political parties.

Former minister Allawi was appointed as the next Prime Minister after months of political instability following protests across Iraq’s centre and south, demanding governmental change and an end to Iran-backed candidates in parliament. 

Despite pledges to take a different approach, Kurdish and Sunni politicians have expressed fear they will not be included in the new cabinet, which is expected to be announced in parliament on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also urged Allawi to reach an agreement with Kurdish and Sunni parties in a Sunday phone call.

A Kurdish delegation  headed to Baghdad last week to meet with Allawi and Iraqi political parties to discuss the formation of the next Iraqi cabinet, which currently contains three Kurdish Ministers, in charge of the Ministries of Justice, Trade and Finance. 

Members of the delegation said that Allawi had ensured them that he will be committed to sending the KRG’s share of the federal budget, an issue which has marred Erbil-Baghdad relations in the past. 

However, they disagreed on the nomination of cabinet ministers as Allawi wants to nominate “independent” candidates, while Kurds want to choose the candidates themselves.

Saadi Ahmed Pira, a delegation representative from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) told Rudaw that the delegation has expressed to Allawi the need for Kurdish inclusion, saying that the Region’s representatives “have to be nominated by the political parties in the Region.”

Kurdish parties will resume their talks with Iraqi parties before the Iraqi parliament convenes on Thursday.

Speaker Fayaq said in a tweet that they “reiterated to have one united agenda.”

Snap election

Another hot topic in Iraq is a potential snap parliamentary election in the country, less than two years after the last parliamentary election in mid 2018. 

“The government is committed to providing full support for the holding of free and fair snap elections as soon as [a date] determined by the Independent High Electoral Commission and parliament,” said Allawi in a tweet late Monday.  

He added that the date should not exceed a year from today. 

Call for a snap election were also mentioned in the statement by the Kurdistan Region’s presidency. 

Kurdish parties will work for the formation of a government that is “able to resolve the current issues of Iraq and work seriously to return stability for Iraq and make preparations for a snap election,” it said.  

It is not clear whether the electoral commission will be able to hold the election within a year.