Iraq's president on Wednesday threatened to unilaterally name a successor to the country's premier, who resigned in December, if parliament did not nominate a candidate within three days, AFP reported.
"If the concerned blocs are unable to resolve the nomination issue by no later than Saturday, February 1... I see an obligation to exercise my constitutional powers by tasking whomever I find most acceptable to parliament and the people," Barham Saleh wrote in a letter seen by AFP.
Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi resigned in December after two months of deadly protests against his government, but he has stayed on in a caretaker role, as deeply divided political parties have failed to agree on a replacement.