SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Iraqi Coalition of State Administration announced Tuesday they want parliament to convene shortly to give a confidence vote to the next proposed government.
Iraq’s legislators last week finally have elected a new president who in turn named a prime minister, ending a year of political deadlock since October last year’s elections.
Their demand came as they met at the office of Mohammed al-Halbousi, the Speaker of parliament, according to Iraqi Media, calling for the acceleration of the process.
“The coalition has announced its intention to ask parliament to meet on Saturday for a vote on the government,” a statement by the Coalition said on Tuesday.
The coalition includes the Coordination Framework, an Iran-aligned Shia faction that holds 138 seats in parliament.
It also includes Sunni groups led by parliament speaker al-Halbosui, and the two key Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Iraq on Thursday elected Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid as president, who immediately named Mohammed Shia al-Sudani prime minister-designate.
The presidency, traditionally occupied by a Kurd, is a largely ceremonial position, but the vote for Rashid was a key step toward forming a new government, which politicians have failed to do since the election.
Rashid, 78, was the Iraqi minister of water resources from 2003-2010. The British-educated engineer won against former President Barham Salih, who was running for a second term.
He invited Sudani, the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc known as the Coordination Framework, a. Sudani, 52, previously served as Iraq’s human rights minister as well as minister of labour and social affairs.
Sudani now has 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to parliament for approval.
