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Iraqi political groups announced formation of majority bloc in the parliament

SHAFAQNA – During its first session on Monday, Iraq’s newly-elected parliament failed to elect a speaker amid ongoing disputes over which coalition commands the largest bloc in the assembly.

According to Iraq’s constitution, the majority bloc in parliament will have the right to draw up the country’s incoming government. Uncertainty over the composition of the new government has raised tensions at a time when public impatience is growing over poor basic services, high unemployment and the slow pace of rebuilding after the war with Daesh.

According to Washington post, Iraq’s newly-elected parliament held its first session on Monday as two blocs, both claiming to hold the most seats, vied for the right to form a new government.

Rival Iraqi political factions said on Sunday they had each formed alliances capable of forming a government in the new parliament after months of political uncertainty following a May election.

The new parliament faces the twin tasks of rebuilding the north of the country following the war against the Islamic State group, while rehabilitating services to the south, where severe water and electricity shortages have fueled protests.

“We must focus in the next stage on reconstruction, services, and providing jobs. It is the time for economic reforms and expanding our security achievements,” said caretaker Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in an address to parliament.

Al-Abadi, who came to power in 2014, oversaw the war on the IS group after the extremists swept through the north of the country.

Two factions claim to hold the most seats in parliament

Two factions claim to hold the most seats in parliament and therefore the right to name a prime minister.

A coalition led by al-Abadi and populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has the support of the U.S., while an alliance between former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and militia leader Hadi al-Amiri is backed by Iran.

Ameri and Maliki are Iran’s two most prominent allies in Iraq. Abadi is seen as the preferred candidate of the United States, while Sadr portrays himself as a nationalist who rejects both American and Iranian influence.

The recount delayed the process by three months but showed little had changed from the initial results, with Sadr, retaining his lead of 54 seats. Ameri’s bloc remained second with 48 seats. Abadi’s bloc remained third with 42. Maliki’s bloc came in fifth with 25 seats, shiitenews reported.

Ameri and Maliki said they in fact had the largest parliamentary bloc

But it is not clear if either alliance has an outright majority, and al-Maliki is said to be trying to woo lawmakers from al-Abadi’s bloc to switch sides. Al-Maliki and al-Abadi are both leading members of the Islamic Dawa party, which remains divided over the longstanding rivalry between the two men.

The alliance led by Sadr and Abadi that was announced on Sunday included 20 electoral lists that collectively won 187 seats, a document published by the state news agency showed. It is now in the lead position to form a government.

It includes the blocs of Vice President Ayad Allawi and Shi’ite Muslim cleric Ammar al-Hakim, as well as several Sunni Muslim lawmakers and ones representing Turkmen, Yazidi, Mandaean and Christian minorities.

Ameri and Maliki held a news conference late on Sunday to say they in fact had the largest parliamentary bloc, with 145 seats.

Neither alliance included the two main Kurdish parties, positioning them to reprise the kingmaker role they have historically played, as their combined 43 seats would give whichever alliance they join a sizable numerical advantage.

Since Saddam Hussein was toppled in a 2003 U.S. invasion, power has been shared among Iraq’s three largest ethnic-sectarian components.

The prime minister is a Shi’ite Arab, the speaker of parliament a Sunni Arab and the president a Kurd.

Iraqis voted in May in their first parliamentary election since the defeat of Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate, but a contentious recount process delayed the announcement of final results until last month.

The new government will be tasked with rebuilding the country after a three-year war with Islamic State militants and balancing relations between Iraq’s two biggest allies: arch-rivals Iran and the United States

No clear vision as to which bloc will end up forming the government

Uncertainty over the composition of the new government has raised tensions at a time when public impatience is growing over poor basic services, high unemployment and the slow pace of rebuilding after the war with Islamic State.

Ahmed Rushdi, a former parliamentary speaker and a member of the House of Iraqi Expertise Foundation told Al Jazeera that due to these differing claims of majority seats, there is still no clear vision yet as to which bloc will end up forming the government.

“The most important thing is that until now [parliament] still hasn’t managed to [put forward] candidates for the prime minister, president and the parliamentary speaker,” he said.

Rushdi said that a protracted process in forming a government is likely, pointing out that in the previous 2010 election, it took 11 months for a government to be made

“I don’t think the Americans will accept any role for the Iranians in Iraq and have been threatening to use economic blockage if the next Iraqi government wil be close to Tehran,” he said.

 

Read more from shafaqna:

Manual recount of Iraq parliamentary election votes to begin on Tuesday

Iraq orders manual recount only for dubious ballots boxes

Political alliance of Iraqi PM al-Abadi and Shia cleric al-Sadr

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