Don961: Wednesday, January 29, 2020 10:53 PM

No dictates, no militias We want a homeland … the consultations of the new government continue and the street is boiling

Four months spent by the demonstrators in Iraq under the cold and under bullets, their demands are clear, we want a homeland … free of militias, corruption and the ruling class that is following the orders of Iran.

We want a country where there is no place for thieves, a strong Iraq with its wealth, youth and capabilities.

Thus, the popular movement continues in the Iraqi street, and consultations with him to form the new government continue, which go through dangerous turns and appear in difficult conditions.
President Barham Saleh had warned the political blocs that he would name a new Prime Minister, replacing Adel Abdul Mahdi, who had resigned in December 2019, if the political blocs did not present their candidate within three days.

In a letter addressed to the parliamentary blocs, Saleh said, “If the concerned blocs cannot resolve the nomination order no later than the first Saturday of February, I see an obligation on me to exercise my constitutional powers by assigning those whom I find most acceptable to parliament and people.”
The caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi submitted his resignation last December, after two months of anti-government protests that witnessed bloody violence. But he continued to do business temporarily, as political parties failed to agree on an alternative.

In the natural case, the constitution stipulates that the largest parliamentary bloc be nominated as a candidate for prime minister within 15 days of the legislative elections. Then the President of the Republic assigns the Prime Minister to form his government within one month.
But the constitution does not mention in its articles the possibility of the resignation of the Prime Minister. Consequently, the 15-day period has passed since Abdul-Mahdi’s resignation. Any candidate will need approval from divided political blocs, the highest Shiite religious authority, and Iran, in addition to the rising street for nearly four months.

In late December, Saleh announced his readiness to resign, after he refused to present the pro-Iranian coalition candidate, Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani, to the post of prime minister to parliament, considering him a “polemical” figure.

Saleh added in his letter, that Iraq faces “serious political turning points”, calling for ” the resumption of constructive political dialogue” and hard. “

The protesters are demanding early elections based on a new electoral law, and naming the prime minister, and to hold accountable those responsible for shedding the blood of the demonstrators and the trial of corrupt.

The capital, Baghdad, and southern provinces, witnessed night protests that continued until Wednesday morning, rejecting the names that are being circulated as candidates proposed by the power parties to take over the prime minister, instead of the head of the caretaker government, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who resigned under the pressure of popular protests.

The demonstrators of the Tahrir Square in Baghdad organized rallies chanting against the power parties, rejecting the attempts of these parties to recycle their candidates to head the new government. They announced their rejection of names that are being circulated as a candidate for the position, most notably the head of the intelligence service, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, former ministers of Ali Shukri, and Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi.

He also called on the protestors of Tahrir Square to meet the three main demands of the protest arenas, which is to assign a non-controversial prime minister that is compatible with the wishes of the protesters endorsed by the religious authority in Najaf, resolve the electoral law file, and hold early parliamentary elections within a period not exceeding 6 months, demanding that a Quick trials of those involved in the suppression of peaceful protesters.

The streets of the city of Nasiriyah, the center of Dhi Qar Governorate, roared demonstrations refusing to talk about the proposal of the Iranian-backed “building alliance” candidate, former minister Ali Shukri, to the prime minister, chanting slogans against him, most notably, “Listen, fear what you know, what we want you to thank.” The demonstrators continued to arrive at Al-Haboubi Square in Al-Nasiriya, which is still witnessing the construction of rooms for the protesters, and to re-erect pictures of those killed in the demonstrations, instead of the tents that were burned during the attack by armed groups on the square, at the dawn of Monday.

The Basra demonstrators also participated in protest marches denouncing the government repression of the demonstrators, and rejecting any candidate put forward by the power parties for the prime minister, renewing the call for the dismissal of the governor of Basra Asaad Al-Eidani, and all security officials and leaders in the province because of their silence on the gangs and militias that frequently kill, kidnap and terrorize the demonstrators.

Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi renewed his criticism of the protests, describing the demonstrations in which the roads are cut off as “non-peaceful.”

He added that “the demonstrations that forcefully shut down schools, interests and roads are unacceptable anywhere in the world and are not peaceful,” considering that blocking the roads between Baghdad and Basra caused the disruption of thousands of trucks.

He blamed Parliament for the file of forming the next government, saying that he “did not find support from Parliament in this regard,” calling for “the necessity of resolving this file.”

While a source close to the President of the Republic denied that any agreement had occurred on a candidate for prime minister.

“The new conditions imposed by some political forces to choose the prime minister are aimed at obstructing the nomenclature to retain Adel Abdul-Mahdi ,” said Abdullah al-Kharbit, a member of the Alliance of Forces.In his post for a longer period, due to political and non-political goals.

”He added that“ political parties want to obtain a pledge from any person nominated for prime minister, before being formally mandated, on some issues, chief among them the issue of removing foreign forces or continuing the security agreement, which is something rejected by the majority of the names of candidates, it may be difficult to find a political figure accepted by imposing the dictates of them, especially before receiving position. “

He said that” those who wish to remain Abdul – Mahdi in office for a longer period, is the beneficiary of the country put the current Vaudhah, to retain its influence and tighten their grip on most of the files Sensitive in the country while trying to face A national political solution to this file quickly ..

After what is hidden in the coming hours for Iraq? Will the country succeed in actually changing its path forward and bypassing the obscurantist period in its history?   LINK