Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Bashir Al-Haddad expressed on Thursday the parliament’s readiness to hold an extraordinary session at any time to vote on a new Prime Minister instead of resigning Adel Abdul Mahdi, provided that he enjoys “popular acceptability”.
The President of the Republic, Barham Ahmed Saleh had given the political blocs a deadline that ends on the first of next February, to choose a new president for the federal government.
Al-Haddad said in a statement today that “the parties to the political process must accelerate the settlement of a candidate for the Prime Minister position because the situation has become very disturbing in light of the continued demonstrations, daily casualties and the persistence of tension, so the government should assume its responsibilities to protect peaceful demonstrators and respond to their legitimate demands and maintain security.”
He added that “the parliament is fully prepared to provide support and assistance to find quick and practical solutions, and the parliament will hold at any time its special session to give confidence to the new government in the event that a candidate for prime minister and ministerial portfolios is agreed upon, the candidate in charge should have popular acceptance, and be agreed upon by all parties”.
Iraq has witnessed since early last October, demonstrations in the capital Baghdad and a number of regions, and cities with a Shiite majority calling for the departure of the political class that has ruled the country since the fall of the United States of America to Saddam Hussein and to head to early elections.