Iraq: Ongoing Consultations before Assigning Eidani

Arab World

December 26th, 7:44am

Baghdad – Hamza Mustafa, Fadhel al-Nashmi

Demonstrators gather at a protest during a curfew, three days after the nationwide anti-government protests turned violent, in Baghdad, Iraq (File photo: Reuters)

Iraq’s al-Binaa Coalition, which presents itself as the largest bloc in the parliament, has nominated Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani to head the government, according to reports. The Coalition previously named outgoing Education Minister Qusay al-Suhail’s who turned down the nomination after it was rejected by the popular movement. In his letter to al-Binaa, Suhail said the conditions were not favorable for his nomination to the post. Al-Binaa Coalition includes the State of Law Coalition chaired by Nouri al-Maliki and al-Fatah Alliance headed by Hadi al-Amiri. President Barham Salih held consultations on the new nomination, noting that his stance was clear that he won’t accept any name that's not accepted by the people. Meanwhile, the funeral ceremony for prominent activist Thaer al-Tayeb in al-Diwaniyah governorate, south of Baghdad, turned into a mass march against the authorities demanding retribution from the perpetrators. The angry protesters witnessed the burning of offices and headquarters of major Iran-backed parties in Diwaniyah, including Islamic Virtue and al-Dawa parties, and the headquarters of Badr Organization and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2053061/iraq-ongoing-consultations-assigning-eidani