Tuesday Evening Iraq Parliament News Highlights 10-4-22

Tuesday Evening Iraq Parliament News Highlights 10-4-22

Al-Kazemi .. Al-Sadr Has The Right To Form A Government, But He Missed The Opportunity

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, stated that the country was on the brink of civil war, following the bloody confrontations in the fortified Green Zone in the center of the capital, Baghdad, between supporters of the Sadrist movement on the one hand, and the security forces and armed factions on the other, but he stressed that Al-Sadr has the right to form the next federal government. However, he made a mistake and missed the opportunity after his bloc withdrew from Parliament and the political process.

This came in an interview conducted by French journalist and writer Georges Malbrunot, chief editor of the French newspaper "Le Figaro", with Al-Kazemi.

Al-Kazemi answered a question the newspaper asked him about the day of the bloody confrontations in the Green Zone, saying: Yes, we were on the brink of a civil war, but the government worked with all wisdom and measure so as not to be dragged into that, adding that it was the two parties’ bet that the government would be with a party, but I took The decision is not to be a party.

He added that within 24 hours of the raging conflict, I used all my capabilities and made all possible communications and gave clear, explicit and firm directions to the security forces to remove the specter of civil war, and I succeeded. This is my decision from the first day of the work of my government is not to be a party to any conflict, and to maintain moderation and balance. I firmly believe that we must move away from being drawn into violence.

And he was asked about the goal of the demonstrators on August 29 last as a result of the events in the Green Zone, Al-Kazemi said, on that day, there was chaos among all the parties involved. Both sides had decisions based on wrong data that dragged them into the arena of confrontation.

He noted that all parties tried to flex their muscles, and some parties tried to express their anger, but they made a mistake in choosing a way to express it, indicating that the beginnings were spontaneous, and we succeeded in removing the demonstrators from the government palace peacefully, and the demonstrators were determined to leave Parliament

Also, however, things developed between the two parties suddenly and ended up between them in a dangerous armed confrontation. That is why I always stress the need to consolidate the values ​​of democracy, adhere to the mechanisms of the modern civil state, and use the diplomacy of dialogue and understanding in accordance with the logic of the modern civil state.

And regarding the goal of the Sadrists, was it a coup or isolating leaders through confrontations with the Greens, Al-Kazemi said that there was no intention of a coup or anything like that at all.

There was popular anger that was sometimes expressed in improper ways, and this was also accompanied by the unacceptable use of weapons and violence, and in the end both sides miscalculated and got involved in bloodshed.

He stated that the statements of a number of political leaders had also contributed to this, which created a dangerous escalation that contributed to igniting the fuse of violence between the two parties. In fact, there is a strong psychological war going on between the two sides, which the political leaders should be wary of.

He was asked about the fact that the Sadrists wanted early elections, and the Prime Minister said that not all political parties dealt wisely and rationally, and the reason was not to submit to the law. We have a very clear constitution, laws and constitutional timings, but unfortunately they have not been adhered to.

He explained that the reason is that the political forces do not believe in true democratic values, but rather believe in power and authority only. The values ​​of democracy are new to the country, and therefore these values ​​are alien to the political class and far from their behavior.

On the accusations against Al-Kazemi of allowing the Sadrists to enter the Green Zone, he replied: I did not allow them, but the security forces, under my direction, stood with full force before them, and our forces provided many wounded to prevent them from entering and storming state institutions.

However, he added: But the momentum of the demonstrators was great and the security forces were unable to stop them, and I had directed them not to use live bullets in all cases to prevent them from being drawn into violence, but some forces still believe in using dictatorial methods of violence and repression, and they want me to shoot live bullets at Citizens, this is unacceptable and completely contradicts my belief in democratic values, human rights and the civilized world.

With regard to Al-Sadr's stopping the bloody confrontation, the Iraqi Prime Minister stated that the pressures of various parties contributed to the matter. Scenes of bloodshed and victims as well, and the possible repercussions of this on the already tense Iraqi scene also led al-Sadr to the decision to withdraw, and al-Sadr himself blamed all parties, including his group, for the events.

On the necessity of early elections, Al-Kazemi said that everyone agrees on early elections.

The recent elections, despite their high integrity, attested by the Security Council, the United Nations, the European Union, and other international organizations that participated in observing them, did not lead to the formation of a government due to the failure of the political forces to agree, and the scramble for power at the expense of the citizen and the movement to build the country.

Therefore, as in all other parliamentary systems, there must be another election to resolve the political crisis.

Al-Kazemi called on all political parties to meet now and establish the mechanisms for conducting the elections, while providing the legal, administrative and financial requirements for holding the elections.

He stressed that the country urgently needs to agree on a new social contract, and to consolidate the culture of democratic values ​​of respecting the constitution, its timing and the results of the elections and dealing with them rationally, away from duplicity in looking at it, as they accept its results when it leads to victory and reject that when it leads to a loss for them.

Regarding Al-Sadr’s victory in the elections and his right to form a government, Al-Kazemi pointed out that Al-Sadr had won the most seats in the recent elections, and of course he should have the opportunity to form a government, but at the same time, Al-Sadr must search for other partners to be able to form the government.

He also said that al-Sadr had also made a mistake in his decision to withdraw from Parliament, which gave his rivals the opportunity to fill his void and turn into the largest bloc in Parliament. All Iraqi political forces are still young on democratic values ​​and are not good at the game of modern democratic politics.   LINK

The Sadrist Movement Is Moving To New Protests: We Will Cut The Road For Al-Sudani To Head The Government

Shafaq News/ A leader in the Sadrist movement, led by Muqtada al-Sadr, confirmed today, Tuesday, the return of popular protests in the capital, Baghdad, in the next few days. With its expansion in some governorates of the center and the south.

As soon as the coordination framework announced at the end of last July the nomination of Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani to head the government, demonstrators from the Sadrist movement were able to storm the Iraqi parliament building in the fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad, which includes government institutions and foreign embassies, while the country has been mired in a complex political crisis for months.

Later, after an armed clash with elements belonging to the security forces in al-Khadra, al-Sadr's followers began to withdraw in response to a call from their leader.

The Sadrist leader told Shafaq News Agency, who asked not to be named, "The leadership of the Sadrist movement is seriously considering the resumption of popular protests in the capital, Baghdad, with its expansion in some central and southern governorates, during the next few days, especially with the approach of (forty) martyrs of the Green Zone demonstrations. ".

He added, "The Sadrist movement will escalate the intensity of the popular protests, to prevent the coordination framework from forming the government of Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani, as the movement will not allow this, and the Sadrists will take to the street soon, and work is continuing to finalize the return of the protests, which will be completely different from the previous one." saying.

Disagreements prevail within the coordination framework about al-Sadr's demands and about the framework's candidate for prime minister, Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani, at a time when political parties are moving to organize early elections, but the last proposal collides with a number of legal and political obstacles.   LINK

Barham Salih Confirms That Iraq Is Going Through An Exceptional Circumstance, And Al-Kazemi Warns Of "A Fire That Burns Everyone"

Shafaq News/ The President of the Republic, Barham Salih confirmed, on Monday, that Iraq is going through an exceptional, delicate circumstance that is not without risks, at a time when Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi warned of "a fire that burns everyone."

Saleh said in a speech during a memorial ceremony in memory of the departure of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, followed by Shafak News Agency, that "our country is going through an exceptional, delicate circumstance that is not without dangers, and that we all have a historical, national and moral responsibility in bridging the national ranks to get out of the current crisis, and to begin Building a capable and effective state that protects the interests of the country, enhances its sovereignty, and ensures the safety of its citizens.

He added, "We succeeded in overcoming many problems and we were able to move the country from an address of conflict to an address for countries and peoples of the region to converge on security, peace, stability and economic development. There are many common challenges facing the countries of the region, and they will not be answered except through joint cooperation."

In turn, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi said during the same ceremony, "The late Jalal Talabani is a great national figure, and we are in dire need of the patience and wisdom of the late Talabani and his ability to contain crises and bring views closer."

He added, "The courage of dialogue, the principle of goodwill, quiet diplomacy, and avoiding hardening of positions were the tools of Mam Jalal and the road map that he laid down to resolve crises."

He continued, "We live in a time when values ​​and morals have vanished in the world of politics, and the language of accusation and treason has prevailed over the language of calm and dialogue to reach a solution."

Al-Kazemi stressed that "dialogue is our only way to resolve the crisis, otherwise the fire will burn everyone," noting that "the real courage is in preserving the interests of Iraqis, their security and social peace."   LINK

Al-Kazemi: We Were On The Brink Of A Civil War.. Al-Sadr Had The Right To Form The Government, But He Made A Mistake

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, stated that the country was on the verge of a civil war following the bloody confrontations in the fortified Green Zone in the center of the capital, Baghdad, between supporters of the Sadrist movement on the one hand, and the security forces and armed factions on the other hand, but he stressed that Al-Sadr has the right to form The next federal government, however, made a mistake and missed the opportunity after the withdrawal of his bloc from Parliament and the political process.

This came in an interview conducted by French journalist and writer Georges Malbrunot, chief editor of the French newspaper "Le Figaro", with Al-Kazemi.

Al-Kazemi answered a question the newspaper asked him about the day of the bloody confrontations in the Green Zone, saying: Yes, we were on the brink of a civil war, but the government worked with all wisdom and measure so as not to be dragged into that, adding that it was the two parties’ bet that the government would be with a party, but I took The decision is not to be a party.

He added that within 24 hours of the raging conflict, I used all my capabilities and made all possible communications and gave clear, explicit and firm directions to the security forces to remove the specter of civil war, and I succeeded. This is my decision from the first day of the work of my government is not to be a party to any conflict, and to maintain moderation and balance. I firmly believe that we must move away from being drawn into violence.

And he was asked about the goal of the demonstrators on August 29 last as a result of the events in the Green Zone, Al-Kazemi said, on that day, there was chaos among all the parties involved. Both sides had decisions based on wrong data that dragged them into the arena of confrontation.

He noted that all parties tried to flex their muscles, and some parties tried to express their anger, but they made a mistake in choosing a way to express it, indicating that the beginnings were spontaneous, and we succeeded in removing the demonstrators from the government palace peacefully, and the demonstrators were determined to leave Parliament

Also, however, things developed between the two parties suddenly and ended up between them in a dangerous armed confrontation. That is why I always stress the need to consolidate the values ​​of democracy, adhere to the mechanisms of the modern civil state, and use the diplomacy of dialogue and understanding in accordance with the logic of the modern civil state.

And regarding the goal of the Sadrists, was it a coup or isolating leaders through confrontations with the Greens, Al-Kazemi said that there was no intention of a coup or anything like that at all. There was popular anger that was sometimes expressed in improper ways, and this was also accompanied by the unacceptable use of weapons and violence, and in the end both sides miscalculated and got involved in bloodshed.

He stated that the statements of a number of political leaders had also contributed to this, which created a dangerous escalation that contributed to igniting the fuse of violence between the two parties. In fact, there is a strong psychological war going on between the two sides, which the political leaders should be wary of.

He was asked about the fact that the Sadrists wanted early elections, and the Prime Minister said that not all political parties dealt wisely and rationally, and the reason was not to submit to the law. We have a very clear constitution, laws and constitutional timings, but unfortunately they have not been adhered to.

He explained that the reason is that the political forces do not believe in true democratic values, but rather believe in power and authority only. The values ​​of democracy are new to the country, and therefore these values ​​are alien to the political class and far from their behavior.

On the accusations against Al-Kazemi of allowing the Sadrists to enter the Green Zone, he replied: I did not allow them, but the security forces, under my direction, stood with full force before them, and our forces provided many wounded to prevent them from entering and storming state institutions.

However, he added: But the momentum of the demonstrators was great and the security forces were unable to stop them, and I had directed them not to use live bullets in all cases to prevent them from being drawn into violence, but some forces still believe in using dictatorial methods of violence and repression, and they want me to shoot live bullets at Citizens, this is unacceptable and completely contradicts my belief in democratic values, human rights and the civilized world.

With regard to Al-Sadr's stopping the bloody confrontation, the Iraqi Prime Minister stated that the pressures of various parties contributed to the matter. Scenes of bloodshed and victims as well, and the possible repercussions of this on the already tense Iraqi scene also led al-Sadr to the decision to withdraw, and al-Sadr himself blamed all parties, including his group, for the events.

On the necessity of early elections, Al-Kazemi said that everyone agrees on early elections.

The recent elections, despite their high integrity, attested by the Security Council, the United Nations, the European Union, and other international organizations that participated in observing them, did not lead to the formation of a government due to the failure of the political forces to agree, and the scramble for power at the expense of the citizen and the movement to build the country.

Therefore, as in all other parliamentary systems, there must be another election to resolve the political crisis.

Al-Kazemi called on all political parties to meet now and establish the mechanisms for conducting the elections, while providing the legal, administrative and financial requirements for holding the elections.

He stressed that the country urgently needs to agree on a new social contract, and to consolidate the culture of democratic values ​​of respecting the constitution, its timing and the results of the elections and dealing with them rationally, away from duplicity in looking at it, as they accept its results when it leads to victory and reject that when it leads to a loss for them.

Regarding Al-Sadr’s victory in the elections and his right to form a government, Al-Kazemi pointed out that Al-Sadr had won the most seats in the recent elections, and of course he should have the opportunity to form a government, but at the same time, Al-Sadr must search for other partners to be able to form the government.

He also said that al-Sadr had also made a mistake in his decision to withdraw from Parliament, which gave his rivals the opportunity to fill his void and turn into the largest bloc in Parliament. All Iraqi political forces are still young on democratic values ​​and are not good at the game of modern democratic politics.   LINK

Al-Maliki's Team Talks About A Crucial Month To End The Political Blockage

Posted On2022-10-04 By Sotaliraq   Baghdad/ Firas Adnan   The State of Law coalition led by Nuri al-Maliki believes that this month will be decisive in the election of the president of the republic and the formation of the government, calling on the leader of the Sadrist movement Muqtada al-Sadr to host the candidate of the coordination framework for the post of Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani in order to listen to his platform, stressing that the political blockage is on its way to The end with 90% of the blocs agreeing on the next stage.

A member of the State of Law coalition, Adel Al-Manea, said that "the political forces present in Parliament have united under one title, which is the State Administration Alliance, which includes the coordinating framework with the Kurds and Sunnis."

Al-Manea added, "The evidence of the strength of this alliance is its ability to hold a parliamentary session in which the vote was taken on the first deputy speaker of the Council and the renewal of confidence in Muhammad al-Halbousi as Speaker of the Council."

He pointed out, "The information available to us is that this month, no later than the middle of it, the parliament will resume its sessions to elect the president of the republic, and in light of this, Muhammad Shia'a Al-Sudani will be assigned to form the government."

Al-Manea pointed out that "everyone agreed on the need to expedite the formation of the government, because we are faced with necessary entitlements, most notably the enactment of the budget law and other constitutional procedures."

He stated, "The talk about the political blockage will soon end with these understandings and the continuation of dialogues, and we are waiting for the Kurdish House to reach an agreement as well regarding the candidate for the position of President of the Republic."

Al-Manea continues, "Indicators confirm that there is nothing impeding Parliament's resumption of its sessions after last week's session, especially to complete the constitutional entitlements."

He stressed, "The constitutional context requires the House of Representatives to finish the process of electing the president of the republic before the Sudanese are tasked with forming the government.”

Al-Manea explained, "The Kurds recently announced the existence of an agreement in the Kurdistan region on the position of President of the Republic, but it has not been announced until the present time."

And he stated, "The coordinating framework will proceed to the election of the president of the republic, whether the Kurds agree or not, and we will leave the choice for the deputies to choose among the candidates who they think is the best for the position."

Al-Manea said, "The current month will be decisive regarding the selection of the President of the Republic, and then assigning Al-Sudani to the post of Prime Minister."

He stressed that "the Sudanese are accepted by everyone, even from the Sadrist movement, as he did not reject him personally and his refusal was on the basis of granting the coordination framework the process of forming the government and its leadership."

Al-Manea continues, that “presenting the coordinating framework to anyone other than the Sudanese for the position of prime minister, this will be rejected by the Sadrist movement.”

He finds, "The position of the Sadrist movement in this regard is strange, because we accepted their candidate for the post of Prime Minister Jaafar al-Sadr earlier, but we disagreed on the mechanism of forming the government."

Al-Manea concluded, “The situation has now changed, and we have a Shiite-Sunni-Kurdish alliance to run the state, and all matters may be settled to reach the goal, which is to form the government in any way, and it is accepted by 90% of the political blocs.”

For his part, the other coalition member, Abdul Hadi Al-Saadawi, ruled out the "resort of the coordination framework to withdraw Al-Sudani's candidacy from the task of forming the government, as he enjoys great acceptance by all political forces, especially Sunni and Kurdish.”

Al-Saadawi added, "The interest forces everyone to sit at the dialogue table, to stay away from media escalation, and to think seriously about forming a government to provide services to the Iraqi street."

He believes, "The doors are open for discussions with the candidate of the coordination framework," stressing the importance of "there being a direct dialogue between the Sudanese and the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, regarding the next government."

Al-Saadawi expects that "Al-Sadr's taking a step by hosting Al-Sudani in order to listen to his government program is an appropriate way to persuade him to reverse his previous position."

He pointed out, "A part of al-Sadr's close associates may pass on incorrect information to him, and therefore this meeting should be with Al-Sudani directly without a mediator."

Al-Saadawi concluded, "The political parties should stay away from indirect dialogue and rely on the media to deliver their speeches, and resort to the negotiating table so that everyone can listen to the government program."

The two Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, are still continuing the dialogue regarding reaching an agreement on one candidate for the post of President of the Republic.  LINK