Al Maliki sworn in as prime minister of Iraq

[Desert Medic]

Al Maliki sworn in as prime minister of Iraq

AFP

Last Updated: Nov 25, 2010

BAGHDAD // Nuri al Maliki was awarded a second term as Iraq’s prime minister today, signalling that an end may finally be in sight to the country’s eight-month impasse after a general election in March.

President Jalal Talabani’s nomination of Mr al Maliki, delayed to give him as much time as possible to negotiate ministerial posts, comes after a power-sharing deal between Iraq’s divided factions was sealed two weeks ago and gives Mr al Maliki 30 days to complete the difficult task of forming a cabinet.

The months-long tussle has seen Iraq shatter the world record for the longest period without a new government after polls.

At a ceremony at the Al Salam presidential palace in Baghdad, Mr Talabani said: “I charge you … Nuri al Maliki to form the new government, which we hope will be a real national partnership government which will not exclude any faction. You have 30 days to form the cabinet.”

After his nomination, Mr al Maliki called for political blocs to present candidates for ministerial positions who had “experience, loyalty and integrity” and asked Iraqis to support the security forces as they fight a still present insurgent threat.

“The coming government will be committed to reconstruction and providing services,” Mr al Maliki said, according to media adviser Yassin Majid. “It will be a government of partnership, no one will be neglected.”

>The rival blocs have all formed committees to negotiate their share of ministries and cabinet positions, which will be apportioned via a points-based system.

Each bloc will be assigned points based on its success in the election on March 7, and each ministry and government post will cost a set number of points depending on its importance.

Under Iraq’s constitution, Mr Talabani was allowed 15 days to appoint a prime minister after his re-election by MPs on November 11.

He had earlier been expected to name Mr al Maliki, who first took the top job in 2006 when Iraq was mired in a brutal inter-faith war, as prime minister last Sunday, immediately after Eid al Adha.

But he delayed the decision to give the incumbent more time to negotiate ministerial posts.

An independent Kurdish MP, Mahmud Othman, told AFP: “Thirty days [to form a cabinet] is more than enough. They have been working on this issue for nine months now, so they should be able to do it.

“Nobody is confident of anything, but I think it is enough time if the political blocs will cooperate with each other and with him [Mr al Maliki]. It’s a big if, but that’s what I think.”

The re-selection of Mr Talabani, a Kurd, and Mr al Maliki, a Shiite, to their posts and the naming of a Sunni Arab as speaker of parliament came after a power-sharing pact was agreed on November 10.

It also established a new statutory body to oversee security as a sop to the ex-prime minister Iyad Allawi, who had held out for months to regain the top job after his Iraqiya bloc narrowly won the most seats in the March 7 poll.

The support of Iraqiya, which garnered most of its seats in Sunni areas of the predominantly Shiite country, is widely seen as vital to preventing a resurgence of inter-faith violence.

The Sunni minority which dominated Saddam Hussein’s regime was the bedrock of the anti-US insurgency after the 2003 invasion.

Despite being lauded by international leaders, the power-sharing pact has looked fragile ever since.

A day after it was agreed, about 60 Iraqiya MPs walked out of a session of parliament, protesting that it was not being honoured.

The bloc’s MPs had wanted three of its senior members, barred before the election for their alleged ties to Saddam’s banned Baath party, to be reinstated immediately.

Two days later, however, Iraq’s politicians appeared to have salvaged the deal after leaders from the country’s three main groupings met and agreed to reconcile and address the MPs’ grievances.

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http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/al-maliki-sworn-in-as-prime-minister-of-iraq

[MarineDad]

Looks like RI/RV will be soon. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!! We are truly thankful for the Blessings that God gives us and this truly is a Blessing.

[ktlamm]

Thank you Jesus. All have a great Thanksgiving

[jfv]

Great Post Medic

Hopefully more great articles will be coming out in the next few days.

janine

[George2351]

Fantastic news. This is what we've been waiting for. We all know what's around the corner.

[Traconesu02]

Well it looks like they are going to stretch out this government selection just as long as their constitution will allow them to.

President Jalal Talabani had 15 days to select a new PM and he took 14 days to officially do that.

Maliki has 30 days to select his new government and I sure would not be surprised if he took at least 29 days to do that.

I also thought the parliament had to accept Maliki's choices.

Anybody have any opinions on that one.

For instance if Maliki's selections are not acceptible prior to the 30 days given to him, will the President then select a New PM and the 30 days will start over for that PM ?

This could still drag out for quite a long time if that is the case.

Just a thought - and I got to say not a very good one either.

It sure would be nice if they just decided they did not need all of these members selected prior to the RV.

Thanks for the post Desert Medic

[ha ha]

Happy Thanksgiving my fellow investors.Let us Thank God for today. If we have waited for so long to get here, this last 30 days or so will not break me but enhance my faith of what is coming my way.l will be a wealthy man when all these said and done. Lets enjoy ourselves with our families on a day like today. RV shall be just below Kuwaiti rate.

[cbs71]

Praise God! The end is almost near and remember, they can still RV without having the whole government filled..

Thank you JESUS!!!!

[Butifldrm]

I hope for the people of Iraq, M will not take 30 days to form the government. They have no money and hopefully that alone will speed up the process. Happy Thanksgiving

[thunderrb]

My understanding is, if Maliki doesn't form and seat the Cabinet in 30 days, Iraq will press criminal charges against him for past crimes??? If they announce the RV without joining the WTO, does that mean their currency is still worth nothing?????

[automag]

Traconesu02.............Hate to say it but you are correct that this could drag on. Maliki has only been appointed the PM designate and as prescribed by article 76 of their constitution this indeed could drag on for a while............BUT!!!! Only for a while........30 days to M....then if he fails to get parliaments aprroval it goes to PM designate no. 2 for his 30 days. Now in between the two designates is a 15 day period that Talabani can take to assign PM designate 2.....Then if designate 2 fails there is another 15 day period that can occur before Talabani has to go to parliament for a vote, (simple majority vote). So take the first 30 days and then the next 15 days before PM designate 2 and thats 45 days. Then take the next 30 days for PM 2 and now we are up to 75 days. Then 15 days to orginize the parliament vote and now we are at 90 days...........Plus whatever else this bunch can delay about that even I am not aware of and you can see that TEChnically this could drag on.

These number of days are not my opinion rather what is stated in article 76 of the Iraqi constitution....I don't make the rules but I have extensively studied them and this is a fact that cannot be argued as it is all constitutional.....So while I know that you have read and studied the constitution others have not and may not be aware of what is written into their laws.

This election is NOT over and is currently on-going until maliki can form a goverment and get the approval of parliament.....which could happen in the next 2 minutes or the next 2 months...which ever comes first...But look at the bright side of my dreay post.....They are now on the clock and that is something not even maliki can control.........Now we wait.

Transconesu02 I know you are aware of all this and most of my comments are directed to those that don't.......Good luck as always buddy and now we await the process. However. To all of those who are not familiar with their constitution please reference article 76 of the Iraqi constitution before you bash me......If you don't read it you will never understand what is going on in Iraq with the formation process...........All the guru information in the world will do nothing to change the facts of their constitution..........Good luck to one and all.

[Randy Lucas]

Thanks for the Post!!

[Maynard57]

Automag,

I agree with you on that it could drag on. However, the it appears to me that the IMF has literally bristled at the last handful of requests made by the GOI, 'bout loans and such, and that maybe Maliki is starting to feel the fire lit under him.

I get the definite feeling its gonna be sooner rather than later. Hopefully a little added impetus from a few international agencies will do the truck.

Maynard

[BlueOrchid919]

Up to 30 days for M to form his Council of Ministers = December 25th.

Since the Constitution does not specify how many Ministers that is, M might get this done very quickly and/or manipulate this part/process it to his advantage. Articles came out yesterday and today alluding to this interesting bit of info....

Then ?? days for Parliament to vote on M's selections - an ABSOLUTE majority vote, not a simple majority = more than half of all Parliament = 163 positive votes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_majority

The Constitution does not specify how many days Parliament has to convene and vote on M's 30 days of selection. Hopefully it's right away, as in the same or next day...

If M does not get the absolute majority votes needed, T then has 15 days from the date of the official No Confidence vote to designate the runner up PM Designate #2 (not sure if that would be Allawi or Mahdi). They could play around with this time frame as well..... hopefully it won't even come to this.

Then the #2 PM Designee has 30 days to form his cabinet which then gets voted on and must have an absolute majority.

Hopefully the RV can bypass all of this political time line..... because we've not seen very many deadlines met, let alone shortened....

If in fact the CBI, IMF, UN, ABC or XYZ can authorize and release the RV independently of the seating of the GOI, it sure would be nice if they'd get it done!

Thanks for all the great articles posted today!!

RV There Yet?