New Iraqi parliament to convene June 14
Interesting reading about the new Iraqi parliament.
BAGHDAD (AFP) – Iraq’s new parliament will finally convene next week, an official said Tuesday, paving the way for the formation of a new government more than three months after nationwide polls.
The June 14 opening of the Council of Representatives comes after Iraq’s supreme court ratified the results of the March 7 general election which put ex-premier Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc in the lead, followed closely by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law alliance.
“The president (Jalal Talabani) decided that the parliament will meet on Monday, June 14,” Nasir al-Ani, head of the Iraqi presidency’s office, told AFP.
Once parliament is convened, Iraq’s constitution states that MPs must first select a speaker, and then choose a new president.
The president will then call on the leader of the biggest parliamentary bloc to form a government, giving him 30 days to do so.
Iraq’s supreme court on June 1 ratified the results of the election, confirming initial figures which showed Iraqiya won 91 seats in the 325-member parliament, followed by State of Law’s 89.
The Iraqi National Alliance (INA), led by Shiite religious groups, came third with 70, while a bloc of Kurdish parties hold 59 seats.
The court has opined, however, that a coalition agreed before parliament first meets would gain primacy over Iraqiya if it held more combined seats.
Earlier this month, State of Law and the INA announced they would form a post-election coalition, leaving them just short of a majority, though they have yet to formalise the arrangement.
Allawi, though, insisted on Tuesday that his grouping should have the first opportunity to form a government.
“Discussions and dialogue that have taken place (with rival blocs) indicate that Iraqiya was the winner,” he told reporters in Baghdad.
“In my estimation, Iraqiya is the one group that can transform Iraq.”
The fact that no clear winner emerged from the election has meant that protracted coalition negotiations have ensued as blocs jockey to form a parliamentary majority.
Full results from the election were initially expected to be ratified in early April, but counting delays, multiple complaints and appeals from political groups have caused setbacks.
