The initiative from the Iran-backed parliamentary blocs consists of nine original points, in addition to nine further points which it requests all political parties adhere to in order to end the deadlock.
Lauding the role of the President of Iraq, referring to the position as “the protector of the constitution,” the initiative stresses that the person filling the position must be characterized by efficiency and good conduct and behavior, proceeding to urge the Kurdish parties to “make efforts to reach an understanding and agree on a candidate with these qualities and within the established contexts.”
The recommendation to the Kurdish parties is due to the fact that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have been at loggerheads over who should become the next president of the country, with the KDP fielding its own candidate, Reber Ahmed, to challenge the PUK’s incumbent and sole candidate Barham Salih for the post.
With the Kurds failing to reach an agreement, the Shiite factions are also fractured. The Coordination Framework and their allies insist on a new government being set up based on political consensus; an idea which has been repeatedly opposed by the Save the Homeland Alliance, consisting of the Sadrist bloc, the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance, and the KDP, who are attempting to form a national majority government.
Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist bloc, announced on March 31 that he would be stepping back from the government formation process temporarily, providing a 40-day window for the “obstructing third” to hold negotiations with all political parties around forming a national majority government, referring to the pro-Iran political parties and their allies.
The initiative by the Coordination Framework comes at a time where Sadr’s window is expected to come to a close next week.
The initiative also stresses that the position of prime minister must be filled by “the largest component,” referring to the Shiites, and proposing to the Iraqi parliament’s independent MPs to field a candidate for the position that fits the characteristics required for a premier.
An additional point in the commitment section of the initiative calls on “organizing” the relationship between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and solving the issues between them in accordance with the constitution, for example the issue with the KRG’s oil and gas sector. The point also asked for supporting the Peshmerga forces, but requested that they commit to the commander in chief of the Iraqi armed forces.
In mid-February, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruled against the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law that regulates the oil sector in the Region, putting its industry in jeopardy. The ruling was widely condemned by Kurdish officials.
Almost seven months since Iraq’s October 10 election, none of the political parties has been able to form a new government.
The Iraqi parliament was scheduled to elect a new president in March but failed to do so on three different occasions, with the last session being adjourned indefinitely.
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