Iraq’s president Tuesday named a former governor of the city of Najaf as prime minister-designate, following weeks of political infighting, as Baghdad residents rushed to stock up on supplies hours before a days-long curfew was set to take hold amid a global pandemic.
Adnan al-Zurfi was appointed premier-designate by President Barham Saleh after tense meetings between rival political blocs that went on for weeks without reaching a consensus on a candidate to replace outgoing Premier Adel Abdul-Mahdi.
Hours after the announcement, Iraq’s powerful Fatah parliamentary bloc rejected al-Zurfi’s candidacy signaling a rocky path to government formation for the new premier-designate.
The development came after an earlier premier-designate, Mohammed Allawi, withdrew his candidacy after political groups rejected his proposed Cabinet lineup.
Fatah, headed by Hadi al-Ameri, garnered the second highest number of seats in parliament in the May 2018 federal election.
In a statement, the bloc accused Saleh of “disregarding” the constitution and naming al-Zurfi in the absence of political consensus. “The president of the republic shall endure full responsibility for the repercussions of this provocative step.”
“We will take all measures to prevent this disregard of the law and constitution,” the statement said.
Early elections have been a key demand of anti-government protesters camped out in the capital’s Tahrir Square since last October, when thousands took to the streets to decry government corruption, poor services and unemployment. Abdul-Mahdi resigned under pressure from the demonstrations.
