SULAIMANI (ESTA) — An alliance between the Sadrist Movement, Sunni parties and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is “an external agenda”, a Shia leader said on Friday, as the parliament is set to hold a session on Saturday to select a new president.
Asaad al-Wrdishdi, a leader in the al-Fateh Alliance, said the KDP’s candidate would not be elected as the parliament might not be able to convene due to a lack of quorum.
“If the session was held and Rebar Ahmed gained votes from the three parties, it would be a danger on the components and the Iraqi people,” he told Esta Media Network.
The Iraqi Council of Representatives is scheduled to select a new president on Saturday, with 40 candidates competing for the position.
“Save the Nation” Alliance between the Sadrist Movement, part of Sunni parties and the KDP announced Ahmed and Mohammed Jaafar al-Sadr as their candidates for the positions of president and prime minister earlier this week.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) re-nominated Barham Salih as its candidate for the presidency.
The new alliance aims to form a “national majority government”, while the Coordination Framework, including other Shia parties, prefers a consensus government, opposed by Sadr.
Politicians and analysts believe that the parliament would fail to hold the session due to disagreements between the parties and a lack of quorum.
Earlier on Friday, Sadr called on the independent lawmakers to attend the session on Saturday or it would be the “end of the Council of Representatives”.
The Shia leader said the tripartite alliance “is an external agenda and will not serve the Iraqi people”.
“If the KDP wins the post of Iraqi president, it will not serve the Kurdistan Region. The KDP has seized all profits of the Region, and people in the Kurdistan Region haven’t gotten benefit from it,” he added.
“If the KDP gets the president’s post, it will only gets benefit from it.”
