BAGHDAD, April 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Iraqi President Barham Saleh nominated spy chief Mustafa Kadhemi as the country’s third prime minister-designate this year, moments after predecessor Adnan Zurfi ended his bid to form a government.
The nomination ceremony was attended by the country’s top political
figures, indicating widespread support for Kadhemi that both previous PM-
designates had not enjoyed.
Kadhemi, the 53-year-old head of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service, has
long had close links with the United States but political sources say he has
also improved ties with Washington’s foe, Tehran, in recent months.
Kadhemi ascended to the role as Iraq faces a budget crisis brought on by the collapse in world oil prices and the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“This is a huge responsibility, and a difficult task,” said Saleh in his nominating speech, describing Kadhemi as someone with integrity and reason.
His nomination was attended by ministers, political rivals and even the United Nations’ representative in Iraq, indicating widespread support for Kadhemi that neither of the previous PM-designates had enjoyed.
Moments before the ceremony, his predecessor Adnan Zurfi announced he was withdrawing his candidacy due to “internal and external reasons,” without elaborating.
Zurfi had been staunchly opposed by hardline Shiite factions with close ties to Iran, which enjoys vast political and military influence in Baghdad.
Any candidate for the premiership, observers say, must have a green light from Iraq’s Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni communities — as well as Iran and its rival, the US.
Kadhemi was able to secure that support after weeks of lobbying that peaked in a flurry of meetings in Baghdad over the last week.
Among them were gatherings attended by Iranian General Ismail Qaani, who has headed Iran’s powerful Quds Force foreign operations unit since a US drone strike in Baghdad killed his predecessor Qasem Soleimani in January.
Iraq has long feared being caught in spiralling tensions between Iran and the United States, which has blamed the Islamic republic and its allies for dozens of rocket attacks on American troops and citizens in Iraq in recent months.
Washington has also imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran, granting Iraq a series of temporary waivers to allow it to keep importing vital Iranian gas to feed its dilapidated power grid, the latest of which will expire in late April.
With ties to both Washington and Tehran, and particularly close links to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Kadhemi may be best equipped to steer Iraq through the brewing political storm, observers say.
But first, he must submit a cabinet lineup to Iraq’s 329-member parliament for a vote of confidence by May 9.
That will require a long process of consultations with various political parties, as top positions in Iraq’s sectarian power-sharing system are typically doled out through horsetrading and consensus.
Neither of the previous candidates for prime minister — Zurfi nor former minister Mohammad Allawi — had been able to reach that step.
If he succeeds, Kadhemi would replace Iraq’s caretaker premier Adel Abdel Mahdi, who came into power in 2018 when political blocs opted for him over Kadhemi.
Abdel Mahdi resigned in December following months of anti-government protests, becoming the first premier in the country’s post-2003 order to step down.
But if the intel leader fails, political sources close to the talks said, Shiite blocs would struggle to find another consensus candidate — leaving Abdel Mahdi in place for the foreseeable future. — NNN-AGENCIES
