Protesters reject nominee chosen to break deadlock

BAGHDAD — Antigovernment demonstrators rejected Iraq’s new prime ministerdesignate Sunday after his nomination by rival government factions, compounding the challenges he’ll have to surmount in order to resolve months of civil unrest.

Meanwhile, new divisions emerged among protesters and supporters of a maverick and often inscrutable Shiite cleric, who initially threw his weight behind the uprising but now is repositioning himself toward the political establishment, after elites selected a candidate for prime minister that he endorsed.

On Sunday, Muqtada alSadr told his followers camped out among protesters in the capital and in the country’s south to unblock roads and restore normalcy, angering protesters who felt alSadr had betrayed them and the reformist aims of their movement for political gain.

Saturday’s selection of former Communications Minister Mohammed Allawi, 66, to replace outgoing Prime Minister Adel AbdulMahdi was the product of months of backroom talks between rival parties, ending a political stalemate.

Hundreds of students voiced their rejection of Allawi at rallies in Baghdad’s central plazas and in southern Iraq.

“We don’t want Allawi because he is a party member chosen by the parties,” said Hadi Safir, a protester in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square. “We want an independent nominee.”

Iraqi officials said it was likely Allawi would face the same political realities that bedeviled his predecessor, who was often caught between rival political blocs Sairoon, headed by alSadr, and Fatah, headed by Hadi alAmeri.

Student demonstrations were also held in the southern city of Basra rejecting Allawi’s candidacy. Other protesters burned tires in the holy city of Najaf.

“We did not choose this person; we demanded certain qualifications,” said Ahmed Ali, a protester in Basra. “Mohammed Allawi is rejected by the people.”

Mass antigovernment protests erupted on Oct. 1 in Baghdad and the predominately Shiite south. They have decried rampant government corruption, poor services and lack of employment, and came with lofty goals: overthrow the political establishment, pass electoral reforms and hold snap elections. Security forces have killed at least 500 protesters since.