Iraq’s Caretaker PM Warns against 'Vacuum, Stalemate'
Arab World
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat
Iraqi outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi issued an ultimatum to the political forces who failed to form a government five months after his resignation and warned that he could not remain in his position in light of the current "vacuum and stalemate." Abdul Mahdi sent an open letter to the Iraqi president, speaker, and political parties expressing his dissatisfaction with the delay in government formation. He “unequivocally” rejected attempts of several political and influential figures who said they were ready to facilitate his resumption of duties as PM. “My government, with the current political dynamics, is no longer able to properly manage the country,” Abdul Mahdi said. This comes amid disputes over the sharing of portfolios in the government of PM-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who seeks to get the country out of the economic crisis. A well-informed politician told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kadhimi wants to include top officials from parties and political forces to form a strong ministerial team capable of facing the challenges. However, he is facing several difficulties and pressures, some of which seem inevitable, especially in terms of maintaining balances between forces, while others appear to be attempts to limit Kadhimi’s agenda. Asked about the Kadhimi’s talks with various blocs, the politician said that the PM-designate may have determined his position with the Sunnis and the Kurds, including keeping current Minister of Finance Fouad Hussein. However, Shiite forces seem ready to radically reconsider their position regarding the PM if he insists on keeping the Finance Ministry with the Kurds. Head of Badr Bloc, MP Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, urged the Prime Minister-designate to adhere to the principles agreed upon by the political blocs. He indicated that political forces rejected his predecessor, Adnan al-Zurfi, because he was named through a mechanism that violates the constitution and political norms. Former MP Haider al-Mulla, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kadhimi is facing various pressures from many political blocs, namely the Shiite blocs that named him for this position. Mulla indicated that the PM is conducting serious discussions with various forces to complete and present the government’s formation to parliament as soon as possible, adding that he has a 70 percent success rate. Over the past two days, PM Kadhimi continued his meetings with the political blocs, in light of the emergence of disparities within the Shiite blocs regarding several ministries, at a time when these blocs should have granted him the freedom to choose independent ministers.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2248276/iraq%E2%80%99s-caretaker-pm-warns-against-vacuum-stalemate
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