Al-Hakim urges resolution of Iraq’s leadership amid stalemate
Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraqi Shiite leader Ammar Al-Hakim on Sunday called for prioritizing “national interests” and completing the selection of Iraq’s president and prime minister, as tensions persist over the nomination of former premier Nouri Al-Maliki.
In a statement, Al-Hakim, head of the Alliance of National State Forces and the Al-Hikma (Wisdom) Movement, urged political actors to set aside personal interests and “share responsibility to safeguard political stability.”
Parliament was due to convene today to elect a president but postponed the session again after the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the two main parties in the Kurdistan Region, failed to agree on a single candidate. Under Iraq’s constitution, lawmakers must first elect a president, traditionally a Kurd, before naming a Shiite prime minister-designate, who is then tasked with forming a cabinet within 30 days.
As for the premiership, US President Donald Trump last week warned that Al-Maliki’s return to office “should not be allowed,” blaming his previous tenure for instability, economic decline, and the rise of ISIS.
The Shiite Coordination Framework, parliament’s largest bloc, then reaffirmed its support for Al-Maliki as its candidate for prime minister at a meeting Al-Hakim did not attend. A political source told Shafaq News that Al-Hikma has ruled out joining any government led by Al-Maliki, whom it considers a “controversial” nominee.
Al-Maliki has meanwhile insisted on pursuing the post, saying the choice of head of government is a “national” matter to be decided by Iraq’s constitutional institutions.
Read more: Nouri Al-Maliki’s return rekindles Iraq’s divisions as Iran and the US pull apart
