Al-Iraqiya Member Says Most Blocs Reject Maliki

17 Aug 2010 – Baghdad (AKnews) – A member of the al-Iraqiya list, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, said that the leader of the State of Law Coalition (SLC) Nouri al-Maliki is rejected by most of the political blocs as a candidate for the prime minister’s position.

Osama al-Nujaifi told AKnews, “Maliki only has the support of his own list and will not be able to obtain the required number of votes for the prime minister’s position,”

“Al-Iraqiya list has the constitutional and electoral right to form the government. The list includes Shias, Sunnis, Arabs, Kurds and Turkomans. It is a true picture of the Iraqi people.”

Nujaifi also stated that the Shias and Sunnis in al-Iraqiya agreed on one candidate regardless of the community to which he belongs to.

Regarding the possibly of al-Iraqiya to form the government, Nujaifi said the list has a great opportunity and it “does not need anything except time.”

Al-Iraqiya coalition decided to suspend its negotiations with the SLC after statements made by Maliki in which he described al-Iraqiya as a “Sunni” list.

Members in al-Iraqiya demanded Allawi to file a lawsuit against the outgoing Prime Minister Maliki on the charge of encouraging sectarianism – according to Article 7 of the Constitution – when he described al-Iraqiya as a “Sunni list”.

The new round of tensions between al-Iraqiya and the SLC came days after the U.S. assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, Jeffery Feltman, held talks with Iraqi leaders over the formation of a new government for the country.

Some U.S. officials sought to persuade the head of al-Iraqiya list Ayad Allawi to accept renewing the outgoing Maliki for a second term, and in return have the post of the president of the Political Council for National Security.

This was rejected by al-Iraqiya which stated it will not compromise on its constitutional right to form the government.

Al-Iraqiya and the SLC held intensive talks last month in an attempt to form the next government. Allawi and Maliki met after INA – headed by Ammar al-Hakim – decided to freeze negotiations with the SLC in an attempt to put pressure on Maliki to give up his candidacy for the prime minister’s post.

On Tuesday the INA called al-Iraqiya and the Kurdistan Blocs Coalition (KBC) to start serious talks and begin forming the next government. Observes see this move as an attempt to isolate the SLC and exclude it from the circuit of forming the new government.

Al-Iraqiya list, with 91 seats in the next parliament, insists on forming the forthcoming government, claiming that it is a constitutional right.

The results of the elections showed the progress of Al-Iraqiya list by gaining 91 seats, followed by the SLC, 89 seats, the INA gained 70 seats. The Kurdistan Alliance came through with 57 seats.

Sa/Sm/AKnews