Shiite rivalry paralyses Iraq’s government
Angry lawmakers disrupt session meant to include vote on remainder of cabinet
ANALYSIS
Agrowing rivalry between two powerful Shiite factions has paralysed efforts to form a government in Iraq six months after an election aimed at steering the country towards recovery from years of war.
The two largest parliamentary groupings to emerge after the vote in May — one led by populist cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and the other by Iranianbacked militia leader Hadi Al Amiri — formed a tacit alliance in October when they picked a president and approved 14 out of 22 cabinet ministers.
But since then there has been stalemate, mainly over the empty interior ministry post dominated for years by allies of Al Amiri, who are backing the former head of a paramilitary force supported by Tehran.
Al Sadr, meanwhile, says no one with a political affiliation should get the post.
Yesterday, angry lawmakers disrupted the parliamentary session meant to include a vote on the remainder of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s cabinet yesterday, banging tables and shouting “illegitimate” in ■ opposition to his proposed candidates. The MPs were mostly from the grouping led by Al Sadr and allies on the list of former premier Haider Al Abadi, one lawmaker said.
Abdul Mahdi and the ministers he was seeking to appoint left parliament shortly after and the vote was postponed.
The incident vividly showed the depth of disagreement over who should fill the remaining eight posts in government, including the hotly contested interior and defence ministries.
Al Sadr says candidates not affiliated with political sides must be presented. Al Amiri wants his ally Falih Al Fayyadh, ■ former head of an Iran-backed paramilitary force, for the position of interior minister.
Abdel Mahdi said in a statement on Monday he would present Fayyadh as his candidate for the interior for parliament to vote on.
Al Sadr and Al Abadi’s blocs refused to attend the session in response but stormed in halfway through, charging that the session did not have a quorum to take place.
The deadlock over forming a cabinet has raised the prospect of further unrest as the country struggles to rebuild and recover after three years of war with Daesh.
Popular protests
Al Sadr has threatened to withdraw support for the government if it is not formed soon and whip up popular protests.
Lack of jobs and services led to mass protests in the southern city of Basra in September.
Yesterday, police dispersed dozens of protesters in Basra in a similar but small demonstration, witnesses said.
Iraq’s return to deadlocked parliamentary politics, now involving Shiite factions rather than the Sunni-Shiite sectarianism that followed the 2003 US-led invasion, prompted a plea last week from Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric for politicians to work together.
That now looks all but impossible. –Reuters