Iraqi President Salih appoints Adnan al-Zurfi as new PM-designate

Former Najaf governor has 30 days to form a cabinet which must then be approved by Iraq’s parliament.

Iraqi President Barham Salih has appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country’s new prime minister-designate, in the latest bid to resolve a months-long political crisis.

Al-Zurfi has 30 days to form his cabinet which he must then put to a vote of confidence in Iraq’s fractious parliament. The 54-year-old former governor of the holy city of Najaf heads the Nasr parliamentary grouping of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

رئيس الجمهورية @BarhamSalih يُكلف السيد عدنان الزرفي برئاسة مجلس الوزراء وتشكيل الحكومة الجديدة للفترة المقبلة.

وأعرب السيد الرئيس، خلال مراسم التكليف التي جرت في قصر السلام ببغداد، عن أمنياته لرئيس الوزراء المكلف بالتوفيق والنجاح في مهامه الجديدة… pic.twitter.com/og8mUcIQby

— رئاسة جمهورية العراق (@IraqiPresidency) March 17, 2020

 

He would replace caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who quit in December following widespread mass demonstrations against a government that protesters see as corrupt and failing to provide them with economic opportunities and basic services.

Al-Zurfi’s appointment came two weeks after former Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the post, accusing political parties of obstructing him.

Zurfi was a former official of the US-run authorities that took over Iraq after the 2003 US invasion that deposed former ruler Saddam Hussein