Iraq deadlock resolved: Parliament endorses Maliki as PM
Iraq gets government nine months after election; US President Obama hails move.
BAGHDAD:
Iraq’s parliament approved Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki and his new government on Tuesday, nine months after an inconclusive election left politics in limbo and delayed investments to rebuild the country after years of war.
Lawmakers voted Maliki and a new slate of ministers into office, elevating Oil Minister Hussain alShahristani to deputy prime minister for energy, and leaving in place Kurdish veteran Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari.
US President Barack Obama congratulated Iraq’s leaders on their formation of a new government and called it “a major step forward in advancing national unity”. “Their decision to form an inclusive partnership government is a clear rejection of the efforts by extremists to spur sectarian division,” Obama said in a statement.
Highlighting the ethnic and sectarian divides that pervade the war-ravaged country, the parliament had to postpone the vote on Monday after last-minute factional disputes and political horse-trading over posts delayed the government’s formation.
As Maliki read out the chosen ministers’ names one by one, parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi scanned the chamber for raised hands and said “approved by the majority” each time. The speaker did not ask for a show of hands from those opposing the candidate or abstaining from the vote. In separate votes, parliament approved three deputy prime ministers as well as other cabinet ministers and the government’s programme. The government was then declared formed with Maliki as the prime minister.
Maliki acknowledged his ministerial list was not perfect. “I do not say that this government, with all its formations, satisfies its citizens’ aspirations, nor the political blocs’, nor my ambition, nor any other person’s ambition, because it is formed in extraordinary circumstances,” he told lawmakers.
“This is what we have, and what we have could be better than what we had if we stand by our decisions,” Maliki said.
Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who failed to gain enough support for a majority after his cross-sectarian Iraqiya bloc won the most seats, told the assembly his Sunni-backed coalition would participate fully in the government. “Iraqiya will play an active, productive and cooperative role,” he told the session, broadcast on national television.
Two female lawmakers protested at Tuesday’s assembly against the absence of women in the new cabinet.
Fragile deals
Maliki has yet to decide on permanent choices for 11 positions, including the defence and interior ministries.
“The deal the parties worked out is rather elaborate but the critical thing is that they were able to get to this point through peaceful negotiations,” said Shadi Hamid, from the Brookings Doha Centre.
Eman Ragab, an Iraq expert at Cairo’s Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, said, “The new government will not be allowed the luxury of taking months to form a plan and years to implement it. People want fast solutions for the provision of social services and addressing the challenge of security.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2010.
Iraq’s parliament approved Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki and his new government on Tuesday, nine months after an inconclusive election left politics in limbo and delayed investments to rebuild the country after years of war.
Lawmakers voted Maliki and a new slate of ministers into office, elevating Oil Minister Hussain alShahristani to deputy prime minister for energy, and leaving in place Kurdish veteran Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari.
US President Barack Obama congratulated Iraq’s leaders on their formation of a new government and called it “a major step forward in advancing national unity”. “Their decision to form an inclusive partnership government is a clear rejection of the efforts by extremists to spur sectarian division,” Obama said in a statement.
Highlighting the ethnic and sectarian divides that pervade the war-ravaged country, the parliament had to postpone the vote on Monday after last-minute factional disputes and political horse-trading over posts delayed the government’s formation.
As Maliki read out the chosen ministers’ names one by one, parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi scanned the chamber for raised hands and said “approved by the majority” each time. The speaker did not ask for a show of hands from those opposing the candidate or abstaining from the vote. In separate votes, parliament approved three deputy prime ministers as well as other cabinet ministers and the government’s programme. The government was then declared formed with Maliki as the prime minister.
Maliki acknowledged his ministerial list was not perfect. “I do not say that this government, with all its formations, satisfies its citizens’ aspirations, nor the political blocs’, nor my ambition, nor any other person’s ambition, because it is formed in extraordinary circumstances,” he told lawmakers.
“This is what we have, and what we have could be better than what we had if we stand by our decisions,” Maliki said.
Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who failed to gain enough support for a majority after his cross-sectarian Iraqiya bloc won the most seats, told the assembly his Sunni-backed coalition would participate fully in the government. “Iraqiya will play an active, productive and cooperative role,” he told the session, broadcast on national television.
Two female lawmakers protested at Tuesday’s assembly against the absence of women in the new cabinet.
Fragile deals
Maliki has yet to decide on permanent choices for 11 positions, including the defence and interior ministries.
“The deal the parties worked out is rather elaborate but the critical thing is that they were able to get to this point through peaceful negotiations,” said Shadi Hamid, from the Brookings Doha Centre.
Eman Ragab, an Iraq expert at Cairo’s Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, said, “The new government will not be allowed the luxury of taking months to form a plan and years to implement it. People want fast solutions for the provision of social services and addressing the challenge of security.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2010.