Iraq: A Shiite bet on the independents to ensure the formation of the government according to their standards, and there is no alternative to consensus
Iraq: A Shiite bet on the independents to ensure the formation of the government according to their standards, and there is no alternative to consensus
5-8-2022
Shiite initiatives rained down on independent deputies, with the aim of ensuring a quorum (more than 220 deputies) to pass the President of the Republic and nominate the largest parliamentary bloc, to choose the Prime Minister and his government cabinet, in a step considered the last of its kind to ensure the end of the “political blockage” that has engulfed Iraq since the elections. last October.
It seems that the prominent political alliances of the Shiite “coordinating framework” and “Save the Nation” have realized that they will not be able to proceed with completing the constitutional requirements, without attracting independents.
The “framework” presented a proposal to the independent representatives, which ensured that they were given the opportunity to monitor the new government through Parliament. However, al-Sadr quickly presented a parallel offer, granting the independents the freedom to form a government and choose its ministers, away from the “Sadr movement.”
And between the two offers, the atmosphere is divided between the representatives who did not “publicly” announce the agreement with either of the two alliances.
While the independent representatives are divided into three groups – one of them is close to the Sadr alliance and the other is close to the framework; And a third party has not yet decided a position. There is talk of the political crisis reaching a crossroads, which may threaten the rerun of the elections.
The former Minister of Interior and head of the Enjaz Movement, Baqir Al-Zubaidi, says in his “blog”, “Here we are reaching the end of the difficulty in front of a group of sudden offers to take over the prime ministership and initiatives that did not rise to the level of foreseeing real solutions and Parliament unable to produce the supposed legislation and the absence of The expected supervisory role.
He added, “It is strange that the two major Kurdish and Shiite blocs withdrew and split in the context of assuming the historical national responsibility in confronting the selection of a president of the republic and the head of the next government since the end of the 2021 elections until this hour (at the time of preparing the report).”
According to Al-Zubaidi, “With this frightening degree of political blockage, the absence of a budget, and the escalation of service and economic challenges and the exchange rate, a reality that has begun to cast a dark shadow on the poor citizen and the absence of the middle class in Iraqi society, Iraq remains in the circle of targeting.”
Amid the influx of initiatives on the independents, al-Sadr’s initiative is considered “more tempting” in that it granted the independents the freedom to form a government, but the independent MP, Mustafa Sanad, ruled out the hypothesis of granting the influential political forces the opportunity for independents to take power in Iraq, with such ease.
And he added in his “blog”, “A message of reassurance to those who are disturbed by the initiative of Sayyid Muqtada and the framework, to give the independents an opportunity to form the government, whether he is an independent prime minister or independent ministers, this does not mean that the prime minister or ministers are the monopoly of the representatives. The country is full of competencies and respected personalities outside the House of Representatives who do not cause eating lemons when asked, we enjoy our oversight role, which is necessary for the future, and is considered a bachelor for the coming period.”
He added: “As for the issue of do parties really like independents? The answer: If this was true, they would have given us the membership of the parliamentary committees, which is our right and entitlement and identical with our specializations, and they kidnapped them publicly, despite the prior agreement on the names.
Independent MP Hussein Arab said, “We appreciate all the calls, whether from the coordination framework or from the Sadrist movement, for their confidence in the independent deputies regarding the formation of the government,” noting that “that is what we proposed previously.” According to the official news agency.
And he indicated that “the independents will have an initiative to write,” explaining that “the independent representatives do not care who heads the government as much as it is. What is the type of government, its shape and color? This should focus on the basics of its government program.”
He stressed that “if there is a government program with points away from political establishments, this will make the state strong,” stressing the need to “write independent representatives as an initiative and controls.”
He revealed that “independent deputies will meet within two or three days to discuss the initiatives launched and the mandate that was launched, and we are ready for them, provided that everyone cooperates with us.”
As for the legal expert, Salem Hawass, he saw that the call of the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, and before him the “coordinating framework” for independents to form a government, is evidence of the inability to solve the current crisis.
He said that “independents and others form the weight of the egg to achieve a quorum for the provisions of Article 70 first of the constitution, which states (the House of Representatives elects from among the candidates the president of the republic by a two-thirds majority of its members).”
He added, “The Federal Supreme Court’s decision No. 24 / for the year 2022, which includes the continuation of the president until the election of a new president, puts us in front of an important situation, which is the inability of the two parties to reach common points to solve the current crisis,” according to media outlets affiliated with the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate.
He explained that «the Federal Supreme Court has no authority to compel all or some of the parties to do so, nor does it have the authority to dissolve Parliament constitutionally or legally because the defect lies in the constitution».
Hawass indicated that “there is no choice but to resort to the provisions of Article 64 / First: The House of Representatives is dissolved by an absolute majority of its members at the request of one-third of its members or a request from the Prime Minister and with the approval of the President of the Republic.”
He ruled out the deputies’ behavior on this path, which he considered “the only solution to get out of this deepening crisis”, attributing the reason to the fact that “they will be harmed by these solutions, but rather they are the only beneficiaries of this situation in order to benefit from remaining in power.”
In the same context, Kurdistan Democratic Party MP Majid Shankali said that the common denominator between the framework initiative and the movement are the independent representatives, and the ball was thrown into their court, provided that forty of them meet to join the Sadrist movement’s initiative.
Shankali said, in statements to local news websites, that “the opportunity is available for the Sadrist movement’s initiative more than the initiative of the other party, given that there are part of the independent parliamentarians who previously chose to go and ally with the Triple Alliance (Save a Homeland) and put 40 deputies within the movement’s initiative, which did not come randomly.” ».
He explained that “gathering 40 independent deputies would solve the political blockage and achieve the required quorum, and if they agreed, the presidential candidate would be voted on and the formation of the government,” noting at the same time that “there are a number of statements welcoming the Sadrist movement’s initiative, and there is an upcoming meeting of independent deputies who will determine Where will they stand and which direction will they go?
On the other hand, the leader in the “coordinating framework”, Aid al-Hilali, revealed that the independents did not go with the framework initiative or the movement’s initiative, revealing at the same time a “new initiative” that would be proposed by Massoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, that might lead to a real breakthrough. to the political situation.
Al-Hilali told Al-Marbad Al-Basri website, “The two parties did not receive each other’s initiatives, whether the framework did not receive the initiative of the current and vice versa, because of their adherence to the government they want. They receive some initiatives.
He added: “There is a new initiative on the horizon from the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Massoud Barzani, and its basics have not been announced yet, and it will be presented after the Eid holiday.”
He went on to say: “The framework was not able to convince the current, nor was the movement able to convince the framework or agree with it, so the two sides remain counting on the independents to resolve this political blockage.”
Amid the tension and attraction of political statements, Ammar al-Hakim, head of the “National State Forces” coalition, called for respecting the constitutional deadlines and considering the initiatives put forward to overcome the current political crisis.
This came during Al-Hakim’s reception of the “National Approach” delegation headed by Secretary-General Abdul-Sada Al-Fraiji.
A statement by Al-Hakim’s office quoted the latter as stressing the need to “invest the atmosphere of the feast to solve the problems of the current political situation and get out of the state of obstruction towards détente and achieve the aspirations of the Iraqi people.”
He also stressed the importance of “considering the initiatives put forward to overcome the current political crisis,” calling for “the importance of respecting the constitutional terms and agreeing on visions and programs capable of providing job opportunities and providing services.”
In the same context, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) called last weekend to find a sincere collective will to end the stalemate in the country, and form a government quickly and decisively to address the country’s long list of outstanding local priorities.
In a statement, she urged “the importance of overcoming the political stalemate for the benefit of all Iraqis, as significant weaknesses at the local level are exacerbated by the ongoing effects of the Corona pandemic and global geopolitical tensions.” There must now be a sincere collective will to resolve political differences in order for the country to move forward and meet the needs of its citizens.”
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