Despite the intense tension I witnessed, Baghdad, the Iraqi capital During the past few days, following the announcement of the resignation of Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi, the latter announced that negotiations to form a government had already begun a few days ago.
In the details, the resigned parliament speaker revealed that negotiations to form a new Iraqi government began some time ago, hinting that there were objections to the mechanism for selecting the prime minister candidate.
He also considered that Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani is a candidate and the blocs have the right to object or support.
Resignation is a personal decision
He added, in an intervention with Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath, that the tripartite alliance (the Alliance of Sovereignty, which is the largest Sunni bloc in Parliament and to which Al-Halbousi belongs, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc, Massoud Barzani, in addition to the Sadrist movement), ended with the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr leaving the parliament.
Al-Halbousi pointed out that no one can bypass the Sadrist movement, stressing the need for the parliament to return to carrying out its work and tasks.
He stressed that his resignation was a personal decision that cannot be interpreted, stressing the necessity of the presence of a ruling bloc and an opposition bloc in the country.
He said that everyone should start dialogue without preconditions, and not transfer the political dispute outside the parliament.
He also saw that Washington’s recent support for Iraq is more media than realistic, pointing out that the country’s stability is not Washington’s priority now.
This came after the capital witnessed, during the past hours, severe tension, after thousands of demonstrators, supporters of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, took to the squares, coinciding with the convening of a parliament session to discuss the resignation of Muhammad al-Halbousi, an ally of al-Sadr.
Clashes between security and demonstrators injured 133 people.
But the intensity of the clashes subsided at a later time, which prompted the commander of Baghdad operations, Lieutenant General Ahmed Salim, in the evening, to direct the opening of all bridges and closed roads, after the demonstrators began to withdraw.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi urged all political forces in the country to engage in dialogue to resolve the crisis.
complete paralysis
It is noteworthy that these developments come as Iraq has been witnessing, since the early parliamentary elections that took place on October 10, 2021, a complete political paralysis, which has worsened even more since July 2022, with the two sides of the most prominent dispute taking to the street and their sit-in in the center of Baghdad (Al-Sadr and the coordination framework).
The dispute reached its climax with the Sadrist movement’s demand, more than two months ago, to dissolve Parliament and hold early legislative elections in order to move the country on the path of reforms in light of its opponents’ rejection of this approach, and their insistence on forming a government with their candidate before any new elections.
The dispute developed in late August (2022) into violent clashes between the two parties in central Baghdad, which led to the death of 30 people, and at that time opened the doors to the possibility of a dangerous re-escalation.