Iraq’s parliament fails to agree on govt formation
14 July 2014 6:33 AM IST
Iraq's new parliament ended its critical Sunday session without any progress in filling in the vacant speakership which is vital to end the political deadlock in the country. ‘The session is adjourned till Tuesday at 11 am,’ Xinhua quoted Mahdi al-Hafidh, acting speaker, as telling the lawmakers.
Al-Hafidh said the disappointing delay was due to the failure among various political groups to agree with each other on the candidates of the nation's three top posts – speaker, president and prime minister.
‘Till now, there was no consensus on the names of the candidates, and we will have two days for more discussions,’ al-Hafidh said. He urged all political groups to deliver a viable plan in order to restore the nation's political life to normality. ‘The situation does not bear any delay, so I urge all the blocs to take the responsibility and to show flexibility,’ he said.
The lawmakers were expected to choose a new speaker after the Sunni Arab politicians managed Saturday to pick Salim al-Jubouri as candidate for the head of the legislature. The parliament was originally scheduled to hold its first session 1July, but political differences pushed it to 13 July.
According to the Iraqi constitution, a new president should be chosen within the next 30 days after the election of the speaker. Following that, the new head of state will have half a month to ask the bloc with the most lawmakers to nominate a prime minister, who will be responsible for forming a new government.
Al-Hafidh said the disappointing delay was due to the failure among various political groups to agree with each other on the candidates of the nation's three top posts – speaker, president and prime minister.
‘Till now, there was no consensus on the names of the candidates, and we will have two days for more discussions,’ al-Hafidh said. He urged all political groups to deliver a viable plan in order to restore the nation's political life to normality. ‘The situation does not bear any delay, so I urge all the blocs to take the responsibility and to show flexibility,’ he said.
The lawmakers were expected to choose a new speaker after the Sunni Arab politicians managed Saturday to pick Salim al-Jubouri as candidate for the head of the legislature. The parliament was originally scheduled to hold its first session 1July, but political differences pushed it to 13 July.
According to the Iraqi constitution, a new president should be chosen within the next 30 days after the election of the speaker. Following that, the new head of state will have half a month to ask the bloc with the most lawmakers to nominate a prime minister, who will be responsible for forming a new government.
Next Story
