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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.
Western governments swiftly welcomed the move to end Iraq’s political standoff.
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…
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Source : france24
