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Iraq parties, allies debate new PM as violence hits shrine cities
BAGHDAD, Dec 3, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Iraqi politicians and their regional
allies gathered in Baghdad on Tuesday to discuss a way out of two months of
protests that brought down the government, as violence hit shrine cities.
Demonstrators demanding root and branch reform have flooded the capital
and the Shiite-majority south since October in the largest grassroots
movement the country has witnessed in years.
Seen as a threat to the ruling elite, the rallies were met with a heavy-
handed response from security forces and armed groups that has left more than
420 people dead and nearly 20,000 wounded — the vast majority demonstrators.
After a fresh uptick of violence last week, prime minister Adel Abdel
Mahdi formally resigned and talks to find a replacement have intensified this
week in Baghdad.
Among those attending the negotiations are two key allies of Iraq’s main
Shiite parties: Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Major General Qasem
Soleimani and Lebanese power broker Mohammad Kawtharany, a high-ranking
political source told AFP on Tuesday.
“Soleimani is in Baghdad to push for a particular candidate to succeed
Abdel Mahdi,” the source said, without providing details.
Kawtharany, who is Lebanese militant group Hezbollah’s pointman on Iraq,
“is also playing a large role in persuading Shiite and Sunni political forces
on this,” the source added.
Political powers in Shiite-majority Iraq have long had close ties with
counterparts in Iran and Lebanon further west, both of which have also been
rocked by protests in recent weeks.
The United States said Soleimani’s presence showed its arch-foe Iran was
again “interfering” in Iraq, accusing Tehran of having “exploited” the
neighbouring country.
– Kurds seek to keep ‘gains’ –
Protests in Iraq erupted two months ago over rampant corruption, lack of
jobs and poor public services.
Despite the oil wealth of OPEC’s second-biggest producer, one in five
Iraqis lives in poverty and youth unemployment stands at one quarter, the
World Bank says.
Demonstrators say such problems require more deep-rooted solutions than
the resignation of Abdel Mahdi, the first premier to step down since Iraq
installed a parliamentary system after Saddam Hussein’s overthrow in 2003.
The 77-year-old said it would be a “waste of time” to keep a caretaker
cabinet in place, in a hint that a political deal to name a new PM was in the
offing.
But finding a successor appears to have stumped leading political forces,
as any candidate would need the approval of divided Shiite factions, Kurdish
authorities in the north and Iraq’s key allies, the US and Iran.
The Kurdish regional government (KRG) was a main backer of Abdel Mahdi and
is likely worried by his resignation, observers say, although it has not
formally commented.
Amid talks in Baghdad, the KRG would prioritise keeping a sizeable share
of federal government posts and making sure any constitutional amendments do
not threaten its “gains” in recent years, said analyst Adel Bakawan.
It would also seek the formalisation of a deal agreed “in principle” just
days before the premier’s resignation that would grant it a share of the
federal budget in exchange for exporting its crude oil through the national
seller.
Other parties were also seeking guarantees as part of the talks on a new
premier, a government source told AFP.
“Political blocs want to maintain their positions,” the source said,
describing discussions as “very difficult.”
– Tensions grip shrine cities –
Government and political sources have told AFP parties are considering a
six-month “transitional” cabinet to oversee electoral reform before an early
parliamentary vote.
A new electoral law has been a key demand of protesters and is now a
centrepiece of the government’s proposed reforms, with key parliamentary
blocs set to discuss it on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, protests have continued in the streets of Baghdad and across
the south.
In Najaf, seat of Iraq’s Shiite religious leadership, anti-government
demonstrators gathered late into the night around the tomb of a cleric who
founded a main Shiite political party, an AFP correspondent reported.
Armed guards in civilian clothes were seen firing shotguns and tear gas at
protesters, wounding 35, medics said.
Najaf has been a flashpoint since protesters torched the Iranian consulate
there last Wednesday, accusing Tehran of propping up the government in
Baghdad.
Around two dozen protesters have died since, and the governor has called
on the central government to put an end to the violence.
Influential tribal dignitaries have also tried to mediate and on Tuesday
they called on populist cleric Moqtada Sadr and his Saraya al-Salam (Peace
Brigades) to intervene, according to a statement by Sadr’s office.
He has yet to respond.
In the shrine city of Karbala, riot police fired live rounds and tear gas
at protesters late into the night, an AFP correspondent reported.
BSS?AFP/BZC/1912HRS