Maliki toppled in virtual coup

Maliki toppled in virtual coup

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 09:41 AM IST
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Iraq President asks deputy speaker to lead new government even as the deposed PM’s supporters decry move

Baghdad : Iraq’s new president on Monday snubbed the powerful incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and nominated the deputy parliament speaker to form the new government, raising fears of more infighting in the government as country faces the threat of Sunni militants in the north.

In a televised address Fouad Massoum gave Haider al-Ibadi, who was selected by a coalition of Shiite political parties, 30 days to form a new government and present it to parliament for approval.

The ceremony came hours after the embattled Maliki delivered a surprise speech at midnight accusing the country’s Massoum of blocking his reappointment as prime minister and carrying out “a coup against the constitution and the political process.”

Despite angrily insisting that he should be nominated for a third term, Maliki has lost some of his support with the main coalition of Shiite parties turning against him.

Al-Ibadi, who pledged to form a government to ‘protect the Iraqi people’, was nominated for the post by the Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition of Shiite parties that of which al-Maliki’s State of Law is a part.

Critics say Maliki, a Shiite, contributed to the crisis facing the country by monopolising power and pursuing a sectarian agenda that alienated the country’s Sunni and Kurdish minorities.

Al-Ibadi’s nomination came hours after Maliki deployed his elite security forces on the streets of Baghdad, partially closed two main streets popular spots for pro and anti-government rallies as hundreds of his supporters took to the streets, raising fears that he might use force to stay in power.

“We are with you, Maliki,” they shouted, waving posters of the incumbent premier, singing and dancing. Mohammed al-Ogeili, a lawmaker from Maliki’s list, rejected the nomination of al-Ibadi arguing that this move “runs against the constitution” because Maliki’s party is the largest bloc and the National Alliance has no right to present any candidate.

“This decision would lead the country to a big problem and the president bears full responsibility for this situation,” he told The Associated Press.

Hakim al-Zamili, a lawmaker with the Shiite Sadrist movement, however, countered that with 180 seats, the alliance could nominate its own candidates and the institutions of the state should respect their choice.

“The security forces and government bodies belong to the Iraqi people, and they should not interfere in politics,” he said when asked whether al-Maliki might use force to stay in power.

The new political crisis in Baghdad has raised concerns abroad. Speaking to reporters in Sydney, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the US stands “absolutely squarely behind President Massoum,” and called for restraint.

“What we urge the people of Iraq to do is to be calm,” Kerry said. “There should be no use force, no introduction of troops or militias into this moment of democracy for Iraq.” Kerry said a new government “is critical in terms of sustaining the stability and calm in Iraq,” and that “our hope is that Maliki will not stir those waters.”

The UN special representative for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, said Iraq’s “special forces should refrain from actions that may be seen as interference in matters related to the democratic transfer of political authority.” Also Monday, senior U.S. officials said the Obama administration, which launched airdrops and airstrikes last week to support Kurdish and Iraqi forces battling militants from the Islamic State group, has begun directly providing weapons to the Kurdish peshmerga forces who have started to make gains against the al-Qaida breakaway group that controls much of the north.

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