The number of members of the Iraqi parliament who support secret voting on the government of Prime Minister-designate Adel Abdul-Mahdi has risen to about 110 out of a total of 329 MPs, a move that represents a form of parliamentary rebellion and could mean postponing the vote on the new government.
Disagreements erupted between the MPs after several parliamentary blocs announced their conditions for the upcoming government, especially “Saeroon” which is backed by the leader of Sadrist movement Moqtada al-Sadr and Fatah led by Hadi al-Amiri.
The blocs asked the incumbent PM not to include any of the current deputies and former ministers, sparking vicious arguments inside the parliament.
A senior political source told Asharq Al-Awsat, on condition of anonymity, that "intensive meetings were held between a number of leaders and deputies in order to resolve the issue."
He explained that some parliamentary figures were excluded from the government, offering hope for a smooth government formation.
MP Mohammed al-Karbouli, member of “National Axis” bloc which represents Sunnis in Binaa coalition, admitted to Asharq Al-Awsat there are still certain differences concerning ministries or their distribution among the country’s components.
Head of Dawa Party and former MP, Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, indicated that Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi is going through a critical situation because of political pressure as he gets closer to announcing the government's formation.
Political blocs are trying to subject the prime minister into assigning their own candidates, said Jaafar in a press statement. He noted that Abdul-Mahdi promised the “people and the religious authority he will not yield to those demands,” otherwise he may be forced to resign, or make known the blocs behind political pressures.
For its part, leadership of Fatah supported the Prime Minister-designate to complete his cabinet.
Fatah spokesman Ahmad al-Asadi said in a statement on Tuesday that "the leadership of Fatah alliance held an important meeting in the office of the president of the coalition."
He reported that the most important outcome of the meeting was the decision to support the Abdul-Mahdi in honoring the constitutional timings and forming the cabinet.
In a related development, 16 deputies of the “National Coalition” led by Ayad Allawi, announced their support for Major General Hashim Darraji for the post of Minister of Defense.
However, Allawi's office issued a statement on Tuesday announcing that Allawi did not name Darraji for the position of defense minister, which reveals a disagreement within the coalition.
The 16 members said in a statement: “We declare our support for the nomination of the former Iraqi army officer Hashim Darraji to take over the portfolio of the Ministry of Defense.”
The deputies expressed their surprise that a certain deputy claimed Allawi’s office denied his candidacy for Darraji, although Allawi himself had nominated him several times for this post before.
The deputies added that the refusal to nominate Darraji may be an indication of a personal dispute that has nothing to do with professionalism.
