Iraq's Shiite Alliance on Friday nominated Jawad al-Maliki to
replace incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari as the next
premier, raising hopes that a political impasse that has plagued
the country for months will finally come to an end.
In a meeting on Friday evening, leaders of seven parties from
the dominating Shiite Alliance in the parliament agreed "by
consensus" to name al-Maliki as the new candidate for the premier
post, said Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer, who was from the Supreme Council
for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the largest party in the
Alliance.
Al-Maliki is a key ally of al-Jaafari and both of them are from
the Shiite Dawa party.
Al-Jaafari's nomination by his the Shiite Alliance in February
touched off strong opposition from both Sunni Arabs and Kurds and
even some inside the Shiite Alliance, which resulted in a lengthy
political deadlock.
Bowing to pressures, al-Jaafari said in a televised speech on
Thursday that he was ready to step aside at the request of the
Shiite bloc.
Some Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties seemed ready to accept
al-Maliki as the next prime minister.
"If anyone is nominated except al-Jaafari, we won't put any
obstacles in his way," said Adnan al-Dulaimi, head of a main Sunni
political bloc in the parliament.
Also on Friday, Iraqi politicians reached agreement on
candidates of other key posts, including the president and
parliament speaker.
Jalal al-Talabani, a Kurd, would continue serving as the
president, Shiite lawmaker Ridha Jawad Taqi said, adding that Sunni
Arab Tareq al-Hashemi and Shiite Adil Abedel-Mahdi would become
al-Talabani's two deputies.
The post of parliament speaker would be held by Sunni politician
Mahmoud al-Mashhadani from the National Consensus Front, with two
vice speakers- Khalid Attiya, a Shiite, and Aref Tayfour, a Kurd,
he added.
The nominations are set to be approved by the parliament
scheduled to convene on Saturday, he said.
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According to Iraqi law, the presidential council, consisting of the
president and two deputies, shall put the nominee for premiership
to a parliamentary vote.
Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis have not put together a new government
four months after the December general elections as Iraq is
infested with bloody insurgency, sectarian violence and intensified
gang crimes.
Many hope that the nomination of al-Maliki will clear the way
for the establishment of a national unity government, which is
expected to curb violence and prevent the country from slipping in
to civil war.
(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2006)
