UN, EU and US celebrate the “positive steps” taken towards forming a government and urge authorities in Baghdad to form it as soon as possible
Iraq has finally come out of the political blockade that has gripped the country for more than a year. Parliament elected the new president of the republic on Thursday, former Kurdish minister Abdel Latif Rachid. The new head of state has already entrusted the formation of a government to Mohamed Shia al Sudani, of the pro-Iranian Coordination Framework, who now has 30 days to try to assemble it.
Iraq has been in political paralysis since snap parliamentary elections in October 2021, which have not yet led to the formation of a new government. Actually, Parliament was supposed to hold this vote in February, although it was postponed due to disputes over the election and the blockade by pro-Iranian parties and militias.
The international community has received the news with a mixture of relief and uncertainty. For example, the United Nations has described the election of the new president as “a clearly positive event” with a view to forming the new government, after more than a year of political paralysis. “There is no need to remember that a year has passed since the election,” said spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, who has called for “the formation of an inclusive government as soon as possible”. “This executive branch must fulfill the aspirations of the Iraqi people, which has been very clear in expressing them,” he said, referring to the demonstrations that have taken place since 2019.
The European Union has also expressed its satisfaction with the appointment of a new head of state in Iraq. “These are positive steps towards the long-awaited government formation, one year after the October 2021 elections for which the EU deployed an election observation mission,” European diplomacy said in a statement. Similarly, Brussels has urged the Baghdad authorities to “quickly” create a cabinet that can implement the reforms that are “urgently” needed and always “responding to the needs and aspirations of the population”.
For his part, US State Department spokesman Ned Price emphasized that Washington welcomes Rashid’s election as president of Iraq and its decision to appoint Mohamed Shia al-Sudani as the new prime minister. “We encourage Iraqi politicians to take into account the will of the people, who have voted for a government that responds to their needs. The US calls on all parties to avoid violence and resolve disputes amicably and peacefully during the political process. We look forward to maintaining a strong cooperation between our countries,” he concluded.
One of the ambiguities that remains to be clarified is what position the influential Shia cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr will take. Not surprisingly, the bloc he leads won the October 2021 elections, but given the impossibility of governing the country, Al-Sadr decided to withdraw its deputies from the Chamber before the summer, a move the coalition called ” Marco de Coordination’ as the main force.
At the end of July, the cleric’s followers occupied the parliament as a sign of protest against the advances of this opposition coalition. Shortly after, in August, he announced his retirement from politics, sparking a wave of protests that culminated in a bloodbath. Twelve people died in Baghdad in clashes with police.
Out of 42 million inhabitants, Iraq has a youth unemployment rate of about 40% and a third of the population lives in poverty.
Source: La Verdad
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