Move against Nouri al-Maliki deepens Iraq crisis
By Borzou Daragahi in Cairo and Erika Solomon in Beirut and Richard McGregor in WashingtonAuthor alerts
Last updated: August 11, 2014 10:43 pm
The exclusion of Mr Maliki was endorsed by Washington, with Barack Obama interrupting his holidays to deliver a statement in support of the “constitutional process” under way in Baghdad.
The Obama administration has long wanted to get rid of Mr Maliki, after giving up hope that he could be persuaded to run a less sectarian government which excludes the Sunni minority.
Mr Obama called the choice of a new prime minister “a promising step forward in forming a new government which can unite different communities.”
The power struggle in Baghdad highlights deep disagreements within the country’s Shia political and religious establishment over the fate of Mr Maliki, who has insisted on retaining the premiership despite widespread opposition. Sunni, Kurdish and rival Shia blocs blame Mr Maliki for the sectarian and ethnic divisions that paved the way for a two month offensive by militants fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as Isis.
A ceremony to endorse Mr Maliki’s replacement was attended by the Sunni Speaker of parliament and leading Shia politicians in a sign of cross-sectarian support for his replacement. It was also broadcast on state television – long seen as under the control of Mr Maliki.
Mr Maliki immediately challenged the attempt to unseat him, issuing a letter rejecting the authority of the National Alliance grouping in parliament, which includes dozens of defecting members of his own bloc.
It remains unclear whether Mr Maliki will remain in his post while Mr Abadi tries to form a government, although there were fears that he could use force to retain the premiership amid reports of a bolstered security presence on the streets of Baghdad. Mr Maliki has consolidated his control over the security services during his eight years in power.
“Next few hours are going to make or break Iraq,” the Iraqi scholar Haydar al-Khoei wrote on Twitter. “Maliki’s reaction to the Shia bloc’s move against him will be key. He can go now or burn Iraq.”
The UN envoy to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, also endorsed Mr Abadi’s designation. “All groups in parliament should co-operate to swiftly form an inclusive government,” he said in a message posted to social media.
The political struggle unfolded as the US confirmed that it had agreed to give direct military aid to Kurdish forces, or peshmerga, who are also locked in battle with Isis. The militants have seized a third of the country and surprised and shocked many when they over-ran areas under the control of the peshmerga, who had been considered a tougher proposition than government forces.
However, Washington played down the impact of US air strikes on Isis. General William Mayville said in a briefing at the Pentagon that the strikes had slowed the momentum of Isis but had not contained them or affected their overall capabilities.
Backed by US air strikes, Kurdish fighters retook from Isis the towns of Gwer and Makhmour southwest of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. But Isis still controls the Mosul dam and has pushed the peshmerga out of the strategic town of Jalawla in Diyala province, north of Baghdad.
Mr Abadi, 62, is a British-educated engineer and a Dawa party stalwart who is often described as relatively moderate and low-key. He served as communications minister in the shortlived US-appointed government of Iyad Allawi in 2004. Mr Abadi’s appointment came hours after an Iraqi court appeared to support Mr Maliki’s effort to halt Mr Masoum from naming any other candidate as premier.
However, later on Monday the Iraqi army’s official Twitter page posted a statement saying: “We are the army of Iraq and not of Maliki.”
Mr Maliki’s coalition won the most seats in April 30 elections but the larger National Alliance of Shia groupings that coalesced after the vote insists that it must be given the first shot at forming a government.
Members of Mr Maliki’s State of Law coalition – and the Dawa party around which it is built – appear to have abandoned him. The defections gathered pace after a widely reported July 25 statement attributed to the country’s senior Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, urging politicians not to cling to power.
“This was a game changer, especially after Maliki’s own Dawa party then issued a statement echoing Sistani’s words,” said Mr Khoei, the scion of a famous Shia clerical family.
By Borzou Daragahi in Cairo and Erika Solomon in Beirut and Richard McGregor in WashingtonAuthor alerts
Last updated: August 11, 2014 10:43 pm
The exclusion of Mr Maliki was endorsed by Washington, with Barack Obama interrupting his holidays to deliver a statement in support of the “constitutional process” under way in Baghdad.
The Obama administration has long wanted to get rid of Mr Maliki, after giving up hope that he could be persuaded to run a less sectarian government which excludes the Sunni minority.
Mr Obama called the choice of a new prime minister “a promising step forward in forming a new government which can unite different communities.”
The power struggle in Baghdad highlights deep disagreements within the country’s Shia political and religious establishment over the fate of Mr Maliki, who has insisted on retaining the premiership despite widespread opposition. Sunni, Kurdish and rival Shia blocs blame Mr Maliki for the sectarian and ethnic divisions that paved the way for a two month offensive by militants fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as Isis.
A ceremony to endorse Mr Maliki’s replacement was attended by the Sunni Speaker of parliament and leading Shia politicians in a sign of cross-sectarian support for his replacement. It was also broadcast on state television – long seen as under the control of Mr Maliki.
Mr Maliki immediately challenged the attempt to unseat him, issuing a letter rejecting the authority of the National Alliance grouping in parliament, which includes dozens of defecting members of his own bloc.
It remains unclear whether Mr Maliki will remain in his post while Mr Abadi tries to form a government, although there were fears that he could use force to retain the premiership amid reports of a bolstered security presence on the streets of Baghdad. Mr Maliki has consolidated his control over the security services during his eight years in power.
“Next few hours are going to make or break Iraq,” the Iraqi scholar Haydar al-Khoei wrote on Twitter. “Maliki’s reaction to the Shia bloc’s move against him will be key. He can go now or burn Iraq.”
The UN envoy to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, also endorsed Mr Abadi’s designation. “All groups in parliament should co-operate to swiftly form an inclusive government,” he said in a message posted to social media.
The political struggle unfolded as the US confirmed that it had agreed to give direct military aid to Kurdish forces, or peshmerga, who are also locked in battle with Isis. The militants have seized a third of the country and surprised and shocked many when they over-ran areas under the control of the peshmerga, who had been considered a tougher proposition than government forces.
However, Washington played down the impact of US air strikes on Isis. General William Mayville said in a briefing at the Pentagon that the strikes had slowed the momentum of Isis but had not contained them or affected their overall capabilities.
Backed by US air strikes, Kurdish fighters retook from Isis the towns of Gwer and Makhmour southwest of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. But Isis still controls the Mosul dam and has pushed the peshmerga out of the strategic town of Jalawla in Diyala province, north of Baghdad.
Mr Abadi, 62, is a British-educated engineer and a Dawa party stalwart who is often described as relatively moderate and low-key. He served as communications minister in the shortlived US-appointed government of Iyad Allawi in 2004. Mr Abadi’s appointment came hours after an Iraqi court appeared to support Mr Maliki’s effort to halt Mr Masoum from naming any other candidate as premier.
However, later on Monday the Iraqi army’s official Twitter page posted a statement saying: “We are the army of Iraq and not of Maliki.”
Mr Maliki’s coalition won the most seats in April 30 elections but the larger National Alliance of Shia groupings that coalesced after the vote insists that it must be given the first shot at forming a government.
Members of Mr Maliki’s State of Law coalition – and the Dawa party around which it is built – appear to have abandoned him. The defections gathered pace after a widely reported July 25 statement attributed to the country’s senior Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, urging politicians not to cling to power.
“This was a game changer, especially after Maliki’s own Dawa party then issued a statement echoing Sistani’s words,” said Mr Khoei, the scion of a famous Shia clerical family.
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