BAGHDAD, Dec 26 (NNN-NINA) – An Iranian-backed bloc, in Iraq’s parliament, proposed the governor of oil-rich southern Basra province, as the country’s next prime minister, but the nomination was promptly rejected by Iraqi protesters, who want an independent candidate to take over the government, officials said.
The Fatah bloc, which includes leaders associated with the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Units, supported by Iran, proposed Gov. Asaad al-Eidani, for premier.
According to the officials, President Barham Saleh received a memorandum from parliament, which stated that the Iran-backed bloc is allegedly the largest in the house and as such, has the right to nominate the next premier.
Earlier on Wednesday, outgoing higher education minister, Qusay al-Suhail, who had also been rejected by protesters on the streets, withdrew his nomination.
Pressure from the demonstrations led Prime Minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, to announce his resignation late last month. That was after Iraq’s most powerful religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, withdrew support for Abdul-Mahdi’s government.
A deadline to name a new prime minister was missed twice, over disagreements on, which is the largest bloc in parliament, following last year’s elections.
There are currently two main blocs – Sairoon, led by populist Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, and Fatah, headed by Hadi al-Amiri. But the numbers in the blocs have continued to change, since last year’s elections, with an unknown number of lawmakers leaving some blocs and joining others.
Last Saturday, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court provided guidance, but stopped short of naming the largest bloc. It said, the decision should be based on parliament’s first session, after taking office last year. But the court also said it would accept if two or more lists had merged to become the largest bloc.
The same day, President Saleh sent the court’s response to parliament, asking the legislature to say which is the largest bloc.
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Diwaniyah, an activist, who was wounded last week, in a bomb attack, died of his wounds late Tuesday. Following the news of his death, protesters attacked some offices of Iran-backed political parties in the city.– NNN-NINA