Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi has announced that the vote of confidence for his government, scheduled to take place on Thursday, is an end to the quota system adopted by the country since 2003.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Allawi said Thursday will mark the day on which vote will take place for the qualified and impartial independent candidates, who will return “people’s rights and Iraq’s prestige.”
He said people, MPs, candidates and political and national powers will “turn the quota page together and look forward to a strong and proud Iraq.”
Ayna News website has published a list of ministers expected to be part of Allawi’s government. The list excluded candidates for the interior, finance, trade and justice portfolios.
Meanwhile, in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, former MP Haidar al-Mulla said doubts remain about the possibility of holding or postponing the voting session since the MPs didn’t review all the candidates' profiles, which were not sent 48 hours prior to the session as decided.
However, Head of Bayariq al-Khair bloc Mohammed al-Khalidi denied this, affirming that it is not a precondition for the MPs' vote.
Khalidi explained that in all the previous sessions, “the profiles were submitted to the MPs only a few hours before the voting session and in some cases, they were submitted to the PM-designate less than one hour before the session.”
He stressed there was no such tradition “neither in the House of Representatives’ internal system nor in the country’s political system for four previous electoral sessions.”
In other news, Allawi held meetings on Wednesday with various political blocs, in which parties discussed means of voting on the government.
According to MP of Fatah Alliance Fadhel Jaber, Allawi is making more contacts after receiving many comments about his ministerial approach and the insistence of Shiite blocs, including those who support him, on the need to amend it.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Jaber said Allawi has intensified contacts with Shiite political forces with the aim of receiving their support during the session.
