Iraq News Now

Despite a rocket attack on Baghdad's Green Zone, Iraqi lawmakers Thursday elected a new president who swiftly named a prime minister in hopes of ending a year of political gridlock and violence in the war-scarred nation.

Abdul Latif Rashid, a 78-year-old Iraqi Kurd, was elected as head of state, replacing Barham Saleh, by the assembly in the capital's heavily fortified Green Zone government and diplomatic district.

Rashid won more than 160 votes against 99 for the incumbent Saleh, an assembly official said.

The new president swiftly named Shiite politician Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister-designate, tasking him with reconciling feuding Shiite factions and forming a government a whole year after Iraq last went to the polls.

The 52-year-old Sudani, who has the backing of influential pro-Iran factions, vowed to form a government "as quickly as possible", but faces the daunting task of winning over their rivals, the millions of diehard supporters of fiery cleric Moqtada Sadr.

When Sudani was first proposed in July, the move sparked mass protests by Sadr's followers, who breached the Green Zone and stormed parliament.

He now has 30 days to form a new government capable of commanding a majority in parliament.

"I shall spare no effort to form a strong government," Sudani said in a televised speech, vowing to work with "all political forces and elements of society".

He also promised the youth he would confront problems such as "the lack of (public) services, poverty, inflation and unemployment".

Western governments swiftly welcomed the move to end Iraq's political standoff.

The US State Department called on the new leaders to "bear in mind the will of the Iraqi people" and urged all sides "to refrain from violence and to resolve differences amicably and peacefully through the political process."

The French embassy congratulated Sudani on his nomination and called for the "formation of a government that will do all in its power to answer the legitimate demands of all Iraqi people and especially its youth."

A reminder of Iraq's troubles came earlier in the day as lawmakers headed into parliament, when a barrage of nine Katyusha-style rockets rained down on the area, the security forces said.

At least 10 people were wounded, including six members of the security forces or bodyguards of lawmakers, as well as four civilians in a nearby district, a security official told AFP.

US ambassador Alina Romanowski condemned the attack "in the strongest terms" on Twitter and warned that "the people of Iraq must resolve their political differences & grievances solely thru peaceful means.

"Attacks like these undermine democracy & trap Iraq in a perpetual cycle of violence."

- 'Crisis breeds instability' -

The democratic institutions built in oil-rich Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein remain fragile, and neighbouring Iran wields major influence.

For just over a year now, Iraq has had only a caretaker government to tackle an array of pressing problems, including unemployment, decaying infrastructure, corruption and the impacts of climate change.

The United Nations mission in Iraq warned this week that "the protracted crisis is breeding further instability" and that the divisive politics are "generating bitter public disillusion".

Lawmakers had made three previous attempts to elect a new head of state, in February and March, but failed to even reach the required two-thirds threshold for a quorum.

Under Iraq's post-Saddam power-sharing system, meant to avoid more sectarian conflict, the president by convention is Kurdish, the prime minister a Shiite Arab and the parliament speaker a Sunni Arab.

The presidency has usually been held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of Rashid and Saleh. This year the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) had demanded the presidency but ultimately abandoned the bid.

Rashid, a hydraulic engineer versed in environmental issues, is seen as a compromise candidate for the polarised country.

Iraq's rival Shiite political factions, the most powerful players, have been bitterly vying for influence.

Sadr has pushed for parliament to be dissolved to clear the way for fresh elections, while the rival Coordination Framework, to which the prime minister-designate belongs, insisted that a new government be formed first.

The standoff has seen both sides set up protest camps in the Green Zone this year.

Tensions boiled over on August 29 when more than 30 Sadr supporters were killed in battles with Iran-backed factions and the army.

Political analyst Ali al-Baidar said he could not rule out an escalation between the opposing sides but said he thought it more likely that a backroom deal had been done under which the Sadrists will receive additional cabinet posts in return for their tacit approval of Sudani's nomination.

From snap polls to new president: Iraq's year of turmoil
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 13, 2022 - After trying to form a new government since elections last year, Iraq on Thursday succeeded in electing a new president.

Here is a timeline of 12 months of political turmoil which has periodically spilled over onto the streets.

- October 2021: Snap polls -

On October 10, 2021, Iraq holds early parliamentary elections aimed at defusing youth-led protests that erupted in late 2019 over corruption and crumbling public services.

The political movement of the powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, which was already the biggest in parliament and had campaigned on a nationalist, anti-corruption agenda, increases its tally of seats, despite a high abstention rate.

His rivals in the pro-Iranian Fatah Alliance, the political arm of the former paramilitary alliance Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces), suffer sharp losses. They reject the results as fraud.

- November 2021: attempt to kill PM -

Weeks of tensions follow.

Hashed al-Shaabi supporters stage a sit-in at an entrance to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to government buildings and foreign embassies.

On November 5, one demonstrator is shot dead in clashes between security forces and several hundred supporters of pro-Iran groups.

On the night of November 6, outgoing Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi escapes unharmed in an assassination attempt at his Green Zone residence.

No group claims responsibility for the attack.

- Political wrangling -

Amid the protests, Iraq's political parties try to form a government.

The main Shiite parties traditionally form a coalition, irrespective of how many parliamentary seats each has won.

But Sadr infuriates his Shiite rivals by insisting on trying to form a "majority government" with his movement naming the prime minister with the support of Sunni Muslim and Kurdish allies.

On November 30, the final election results confirm the Sadrists' victory, with the bloc winning 73 out of 329 parliamentary seats, compared with 17 for the Fatah alliance, down from 48 previously.

- January 2022: Stormy first session -

On January 9, 2022, the new parliament re-elects Sunni Muslim speaker Mohammed al-Halbussi, in a stormy first session.

The vote is boycotted by the pro-Iran Coordination Framework, which draws together the Fatah alliance and lawmakers from the party of Sadr's longtime foe, former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki.

- Feb-March 2022: No agreement on president -

Parliament holds three failed attempts to elect a new Iraqi president between February 7 and March 30.

The largely ceremonial role traditionally goes to a member of Iraq's Kurdish minority.

The president's election usually paves the way for the designation of a prime minister and the formation of a new government.

- June 2022: Pro-Sadr MPs resign -

On June 10, all 73 pro-Sadr MPs resign in order to pressure their rivals to fast-track the formation of a government.

Their seats go to the candidates who came second, making the pro-Iran bloc the biggest in parliament.

- July 2022: unrest after PM nominated -

On July 25, the pro-Iran Coordination Framework nominates former minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, 52, as prime minister.

Outraged Sadr supporters breach the Green Zone on July 27 and stage a brief sit-in in parliament.

Three days later, they return in their thousands and vow to stay "until further notice".

On August 12, Coordination Framework supporters begin their own sit-in near the Green Zone, calling for the swift formation of a new government.

- August 2022: Sadr quits politics -

On August 29 Sadr announces his "definitive retirement" from politics and the closure of "all the institutions" linked to his Sadrist movement.

Thousands of his supporters storm the government palace inside the Green Zone.

At least 30 Sadr supporters are shot dead in 24 hours in fighting with rival Shiite factions and a national curfew is decreed. They swiftly withdraw after Sadr calls on them to do so.

- October 13: New president elected -

Abdul Latif Rashid, a 78-year-old Kurdish former water resources minister, is elected president by parliament, replacing the incumbent Barham Saleh.

The election of Rashid, seen as a compromise candidate, sparks hope of an end to a year of political gridlock.

His first task was nominating Sudani as prime minister, who will now attempt to form a new government.

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Crisis-hit Iraq makes latest bid to elect president
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 13, 2022
Lawmakers in crisis-hit Iraq meet Thursday for their fourth attempt this year to elect a state president and break a year-long gridlock marred by deadly violence that has deepened economic woes. Oil-rich Iraq has yet to form a new government after general elections more than a year ago that were brought forward by a wave of mass protests against endemic corruption, rampant unemployment and decaying infrastructure. This week, the United Nations mission said that "the protracted crisis is breeding ... read more