Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday elected former minister Abdul Latif Rashid as the country’s next president, closing a devastating political vacuum against threats of further violence following a barrage of rocket attacks earlier in the day. We have taken an important step towards ending it.
At least nine rockets blasted the Iraqi parliament inside the heavily fortified Green Zone, home of the government, ahead of a much-anticipated session in which parliamentarians move forward toward forming the next government despite the political crisis. The bullet was targeted. At least five people were injured.
Iraqi law requires the president to ask the largest bloc of parliament to nominate a prime minister. The Iraqi parliament has 329 seats.
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The Iran-backed coordination framework, made up of mostly Shia political parties, named Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister on Thursday after submitting a formal letter claiming it was the largest bloc. .
Latif, 78, won with 162 out of 261 votes. From his 2003 he served as Minister of Water Resources until 2010 and has since served as an Advisor to the Head of State. Outgoing President Barham Saleh reportedly walked out of the Capitol as the votes were tallied. He lost by 99 votes.
Iraqi law gives Prime Minister Latif 15 days to nominate a prime minister (probably al-Sudani in this case) and present a cabinet line-up to parliament for the next vote.
In Iraq’s power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for a Kurdish group to appoint, and the prime minister belongs to the Shiite bloc. The speaker of parliament is a Sunni.
After federal elections took place in October 2021, political disputes and repeated crises prevented the appointment of a new government. The stalemate has been largely driven by a tense political confrontation between influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Backed by Iran.
The real test ahead for the contentious factions in the crisis-hit country will be a new prime minister and cabinet, with Al Sadr ostensibly out of the political process after withdrawing MPs from parliament and announcing withdrawal from politics. is to formally vote in the lineup. .
A rocket attack delayed parliament, but it didn’t delay it.
At least one rocket landed near the parliament building before the session, according to Iraqi officials. More fell in other areas within the Green Zone boundaries.
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At least five people were injured in the attack, including three civilians and two military personnel. The culprit was not immediately known.
The attack, which appears to be an attempt to derail the session, claims the Coordination Framework, an alliance mainly composed of Iranian-backed Shiite parties and led by al-Maliki, is the largest bloc in parliament. It happened after I sent a formal letter. .
The alliance has nominated Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as its prime minister candidate.
Al-Sadr had previously rejected al-Sudani’s candidacy and instructed his supporters to storm parliament on June 30 to derail his nomination.
Al Sadr’s party won the most seats in the October 2021 federal elections, but ordered lawmakers to resign after failing to secure a quorum to vote in a government that would eliminate its Iran-backed rival. rice field. On August 29, fierce street fighting broke out between al-Sadr supporters and Iraqi security forces for 24 hours, bringing the country to the brink of civil war.
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Ahead of Thursday’s session, many feared protests by followers of the Framework’s political opponent, al-Sadr.
British Ambassador to Iraq Mark Bryson Richardson said the rocket attacks were “totally unacceptable”.
“Violence is not involved in the political process and state institutions must be allowed to operate.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
It wasn’t the first time a rocket attack targeted the Capitol as members of Congress prepared to attend a meeting.
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On September 28, three rockets targeted the Green Zone as a session was convened to renew confidence in Speaker of Parliament Mohammed Al-Harboushi.